


Midnights at Mona’s

by Courty



Category: Heartland (TV), Julie and The Phantoms (TV)
Genre: Adventure, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, Country & Western, F/M, Fantasy, Fluff, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Romance, Slight Soulmate-ish type thing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-28
Updated: 2021-03-13
Packaged: 2021-03-13 20:28:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 43,363
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29034675
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Courty/pseuds/Courty
Summary: Julie Molina expected many things on her impromptu road trip to Texas. She expected Flynn to be confused but ultimately supportive; she expected to relax and gain a new perspective; and she expected (or at least hoped) to rediscover the music she’d lost over the past year. What she did not expect was to be bunking with cranky rancher Luke Patterson, or the mysterious (and quite possibly magical) karaoke bar that would lead them on an adventure full of new friends, dangerous enemies, fun music, and a whole lot of love.Yeehaw, cowfolk! let’s go!
Relationships: Alex Mercer/Willie (Julie and The Phantoms), Carrie Wilson/Nick, Julie Molina/Luke Patterson, Minor or Background Relationship(s), Reggie Peters/Flynn
Comments: 157
Kudos: 115





	1. Forgiveness over Permission

**Author's Note:**

> Hey-o, fellow travelers! 
> 
> A’ight, I’mma need y’all to do me a favor and keep an open mind here.  
> Here are a few things up front....
> 
> 1) I’m a Tennessee girl who loves MANY different kinds of music, including (good) country music and, much like Reggie, I think it deserves a chance because it tells the best stories.
> 
> 2) Two TV shows seriously caught my interest in 2020: Heartland and Julie and the Phantoms. I thought, “What would happen if I combined them??” This is the answer to that question. 
> 
> 3) There is a LOT of music in this fic, and yes, a good portion of it is country (ya know, because Texas). But it’s going to be pretty fun! 
> 
> I hope you’ll take a leap of faith and join me on this ride! 
> 
> Enjoy! 
> 
> ~Courty

Julie Molina was known for many things.

To her mom, dad, and brother, she was the strongest woman on the planet. She’d taken on the mantle of caretaker in their family while her mom dealt with a devastating end stage renal failure diagnosis, three years of dialysis, and finally the kidney transplant that saved her life. 

To her classmates, she’d always been the star of The Chattanooga Center for Creative Arts’ (and later, UTK’s) music program. Be it piano, violin, or voice, it was hard not to be equal parts envious and awed by the girl who was as kind as she was talented. 

To the general public she was “an inspiring young woman who lost her music when she nearly lost her mother yet still managed to pull herself out of the depths of despair and move past her pain to continue creating music that moved people, body and soul” (at least, that’s what People Magazine said in her cover story) and the biggest pop star Chattanooga had ever seen Tennessee waltz her way to the top. 

Yes, the world saw Julie Molina as this powerhouse of a woman who was carving out her place as a legend with poise and grace. 

Flynn knew better. They’d been best friends for thirteen years. She was good at playing the sophisticated pop star, but in truth Julie was a twenty-three-year-old disaster child in need of constant supervision, a savings account for emergency bail money (on the very probable chance she went got herself arrested for freeing all the butterflies in the aquarium’s butterfly garden, or something stupid like that), and possibly one of those animal shaped toddler leashes. 

Julie was aware of all of this. Flynn had told her in those exact words many times over their long, long friendship. 

And yet, even after thirteen wonderfully blunt years, Flynn still could not get the dork to care. 

So when she showed up at Flynn’s apartment at three o’clock on a Friday morning with a packed car and a brand new pair of cowboy boots in Flynn’s size, Flynn just glared at her for a moment, then threw her own packed suitcases at Julie before stomping down the steps. 

“Remind me why we’re leaving at zero-dark-thirty again,” she muttered, taking a long sip of her coffee. She hated coffee. Yet here she was, chugging down her second mugful of the morning so that she could stay awake to navigate for a wayward pop star who suddenly decided she needed a break. And was also on a country-music-cowgirl kick, apparently. 

How had this become Flynn’s life? 

Julie shrugged and dragged Flynn’s suitcases to her trunk. “Because Texas is seventeen hours away, and we’ll have to make at least eight stops along the way.” 

Flynn plopped into the front passenger seat of the car and buckled up. “Why do we have to stop so many-”

Something cold and wet shoved itself into her ear, followed by long, warm, sticky strokes. 

Flynn gasped. “Badger!” she shrieked, shoving the nose away and wiping out her ear. “We’ve talked about this! Dinner first, then tongue!” She whipped around and met a large pair of amber eyes shooting her a pitiful look for denying him his kisses. Well, that wasn’t fair. Flynn scratched the dog behind his wide, pointy ears. Julie's “several stops” comment suddenly made so much more sense. She was just about to kiss his soft muzzle when her common sense finally caught up with the situation. “Wait, Badger?”

Julie slammed the trunk shut and slid into the driver's seat. "Okay, Flynny,” she said, tossing her phone into Flynn’s lap, “Google Maps is your-"

"Julie, why is Badger in the car?" 

“Hm?” 

Oh, that was how she wanted to play it, huh? “You heard what I said. Why is your dog in the car with us and not staying with your parents like we talked about?” 

Julie puffed up her cheeks and shifted her eyes around the car, looking everywhere but at Flynn. “I didn’t want to be away from him for such a long time.” 

Beg pardon? “Julie, it’s a week. I know you love your dog, but you can take a break from him for a week, right?” 

“Of course I can take a break from him for a week! Do you think I'm insane?"

Yes, in fact she did think Julie was insane. But that was beside the point. Flynn narrowed her eyes. “Then why is he in the car?” 

And wouldn’t you know it, Julie suddenly could not take her eyes off the dash, shifting the information on the small screen under the speedometer between “Trip A/Trip B” and “Miles Remaining.” 

“Julie…”

“We may be gone for a little longer than a week.” Julie’s voice was quiet, as if she was whispering instructions on how to move a sleeping bear without waking it up. 

Flynn was the bear. And she was wide awake now. “How long are will we be gone, Julie?” she muttered through gritted teeth. 

Julie started the car and pulled out of Flynn’s apartment complex before answering, effectively trapping them both. "Um… Just, you know…" She mumbled the last couple of words, but Flynn was fluent in Flynn-is-about-to-kill-Julie-ese. 

"I'm sorry, I thought you said a month!" 

"I did."

Flynn couldn't speak for a minute. This wasn't a road trip, it was an abduction! She was being kidnapped, and she needed to call the police, or the CIA, or her mom, or someone before this crazy woman took her across state lines and she was out of the Chattanooga Police Department’s jurisdiction. She’d watch Law and Order, she knew how this worked! 

“Look, Flynn, before you freak out-”

“Oh I am way past freaking out, Julie Molina! This is beyond psychotic! Who in their right mind just decides to abandon their life for a freaking month and drag her soon-to-be ex-best friend along with her?” 

“Flynn!” Julie shouted, effectively shutting the other girl up. “Will you please let me explain myself before you jump out of the car?” 

Flynn huffed. “You have exactly thirty seconds to convince me, or I stick my head out the window and scream ‘kidnapper.’ Start.”

Julie’s grip tightened on the wheel. “I have to get out of here. Not for a week, not for two weeks. I need to get away for awhile. Things at home are finally starting to resemble normal, and I’m done with the label. For the first time in four years, I have some time to myself. This is my chance to leave the craziness behind for a bit, maybe gain some new perspective on where I want my music to go.” 

She flicked glassy eyes at Flynn, then blinked away her tears and smiled. “And I checked with Andi. Since you started working with Destiny as my manager, you’ve racked up well over three months of paid vacation time that you haven’t used, and I’m your only client.” She leveled a guilty smile at Flynn. “So, if you really think about it, your refusal to take any time off or work with anyone but me are what gave me the leeway to plan this trip. You only have yourself to blame.” She grinned. “Besides, you’ve been saying you and I needed to use your vacation time to get away for years. So this is us. Using some of your vacation time and getting away.” 

Flynn stayed silent for a moment, allowing everything Julie said to sink in. If she was being fair, Julie did need a nice long break from the madness that was the pop music industry. Especially now that she was no longer signed with her previous label. Especially after what had happened with them. 

Finally, she sighed, resigned to her fate. “You do realize I meant Paris or Milan and not the twice-cursed deserts of central Texas, right?” she asked, rubbing her eyes against an impending migraine. 

Julie’s face lit up in a relieved smile. “Next time, sweetie, I promise.”

“Speaking of ten gallon hats and bolo ties, why are we heading to the twice-cursed deserts of central Texas anyway? You still haven’t explained that to me.” 

Julie blew out a long breath and ran a hand through her tangled curls. “Do you remember Mom telling us about her college roommate, Emily Wilson?” 

Flynn raised an eyebrow. “Emily Wilson? You mean the Emily Wilson who basically single handedly closed down an entire chapter of a national fraternity at UTK due to their unprecedented number of accusations of hate speech, sexism, racism, and alcohol-related deaths? And who exposed several staff members who were working to cover up all those discretions as well? All before she was even a junior in college? That Emily Wilson?” 

“Yes, that Emily Wilson.” 

Flynn shrugged and examined her nails. “I think I remember your mom mentioning something about her at one point or another...” She trailed off.

Wait. One. Second. Why would Julie mention her? Unless…

She whipped her head around. “Are you telling me we’re going to meet the Emily Wilson on this trip?” 

“Not just meet her!” Julie gushed as she pulled onto I-75. “We’re staying with her on her ranch!” 

Now, if there was one thing Flynn took pride in, it was her ability to keep her cool under any circumstances. Julie losing her boarding pass five minutes before a flight? No worries, there was an app for that. Having the personal phone numbers of numerous A-list celebrities at her fingertips? Child’s play. But meeting Emily Wilson, her childhood hero? 

Not this time. 

“No way, no way, no freaking way!” Flynn squealed, earning a startled yelp from Badger, who’d dozed off in the back seat. “How did you ever score that?” 

Julie laughed. “I told Mom I wanted to go somewhere that wasn’t here to hopefully get some inspiration for new material, but I didn’t want to spend every cent I had on the trip either. She and Emily recently got back in touch over Facebook, and Emily has been everywhere. Mom asked if she had any suggestions, and Emily offered her home.” 

“Just like that?” 

“Just like that.” Julie glanced at her. “Am I forgiven?”

“Halfway. We’ll see how I feel when we actually meet Emily Wilson.” 

Man, she had to stop saying “Emily Wilson” every other word. 

“It’s Emily Patterson now, just so you know.” 

Flynn went back to examining her nails. “Irrelevant. She’ll always be Emily Wilson in my heart.” 

Flynn could practically hear Julie roll her eyes, but she chose to ignore it. They fell into a comfortable silence as Flynn navigated. 

A horrifying thought hit her just as they passed the I-59 Birmingham split. “Julie! I don’t have enough clothes for a month!” Sure she’d packed three extra outfits (one could never be too prepared), but that did not a month’s worth of wardrobe make! 

“Yes you do.” Mischief flickered in Julie’s eyes as she grinned. “I knew you were going to be packed and have your clothes laid out super early, so I snuck into your place while you were out yesterday afternoon and grabbed the rest of your stuff. It’s all in the trunk.” 

For a long moment, Flynn just stared at Julie, shocked. “Just how long has ‘Kidnap Flynn’ been the plan?” 

“It wouldn’t be wrong of you to assume there was never another plan.” 

Flynn shook her head, then sat back and laughed. “You’re irrevocably certifiable, you know that right?” 

“So you tell me. Every single day.” Julie glanced around her, then rolled down her window. 

“Jules, what are you-”

“Yee-haw! Texas, here we come!” 

One of these days Flynn would wise up and find herself an actual adult to claim as her best friend. But for now, she was stuck with Julie. 

And that was all right with her. 

***

Google Maps was such a liar.

‘Seventeen hours,’ it said. ‘You’ll reach your destination by six o’clock p.m. Central time,’ it said. 

Well, between Maps telling them about an exit after they’d already missed it, Badger taking twenty minutes to poop every time they stopped for him, and Flynn (who decided to punish Julie for kidnapping her by flat out refusing to drive at all) insisting they drive five extra miles out of the way to find gas that was below three dollars a gallon every time they needed gas, Julie rolled up to Ferus Springs Ranch at 1:27a.m. (even with the one hour time difference). She decided right then and there that she was never driving a car again. The memories of her aching back, numb rear end, and stinging eyes had traumatized her beyond any kind of logical reasoning. She hated automobiles. If she needed to go anywhere for the rest of her life, she would walk, thank you very much. 

But then she got out of the car and nearly flopped to her knees on her barely functioning legs. Hm. Nope. No more walking either. Maybe she’d get a sled dog team. That sounded like a much more viable option. 

“Julie, I swear, if you ever make me do something like this again, they will not find your body, do you hear the words that are coming out of my mouth?” Flynn stood and had to catch the top of the car to keep from collapsing herself. 

Julie rubbed the tops of her eyes, fighting back a headache. “Shut up, Flynn. My ears are too tired to deal with your whining tonight.” 

The darkness around them was much more complete than anything Julie had ever experienced before. The only light in the area were the dim porch lights on the front of the farmhouse, the ring produced casting a shallow ring around the house. Julie had to park right next to the porch so she could see what she was doing. She had no idea what the landscape looked like. It was so hot, even in the middle of the night, that Julie wouldn’t be surprised if they were smack in the middle of the desert. 

Flynn slipped into A-list popstar manager mode like she slipped on a new pair of Prada boots as she popped open the trunk and began unloading their bags. “Okay, do you know if there’s anyone here to…”

Julie tuned her out as she opened her back door and let Badger hop out of the car. The dog twisted around a few times before stretching his back with a satisfied whine. Oo, now that was an idea; Badger had once again proven to be the best twenty-one dollars she’d ever spent. She bent backward to stretch her stiff back muscles, and nearly fell over. 

“Flynn.” Her voice was barely a whisper. 

“- think she’ll expect us to sleep on the second floor? Because I’m going to need-”

“Flynn,” Julie called with a little more force. 

“-all that rising heat is going to give my poor hair nightmares-”

That was enough about that. “Evelynn Grace Carter, shut up and look at the most amazing sky either of us has ever seen!” 

Flynn’s voice died in her throat. She shot Julie a dirty look but did as she was told. And her mouth immediately fell open in complete awe. “Wow.” 

Julie nodded. “No kidding,” she breathed back.

The sky was positively covered in huge, twinkling stars. There were so many sprinkled across the heavens that Julie had a hard time finding the constellations that had become second nature for her to point out any time she went star-gazing back home. 

Ha. How could she call what she did in Chattanooga “stargazing?” She’d never seen such a saturation of cosmic light. Chattanooga, especially the outer communities like Harrison and Birchwood, wasn’t the worst when it came to light pollution, but compared to Bribona, Texas? Who was she kidding. There was no comparison. 

“Julie? Julie Molina?” a soft voice called in a light Texas drawl.

The girls straightened up and watched a small figure making its way toward them, a flashlight beam sweeping across its path. 

“Mrs. Patterson?” Julie called back. 

A petite woman in a thin houserobe made her way up to Julie and immediately wrapped her in a hug. “Oh, thank goodness you made it! I was just about to call you and see if I needed to send out a search party!” she exclaimed, squeezing Julie to her as if they’d been friends for years. “And it’s Emily,” she continued, pushing Julie back but holding onto her shoulders. “Let me get a look at you!” She grinned, her shoulders raising slightly in a quiet laugh. “Why, if you aren’t Rose’s mirror image!” Her smile widened and she pulled Julie into another bone-crushing hug. “It’s so good to have you here.” 

Julie couldn’t help but squeeze back. “It’s great to be here! Thank you so much for having us.”

A gentle bump followed by a whine interrupted their hug as Badger came up to say hello to Emily. 

Emily gasped and fell to her knees. “And who is this?” she asked, scritching the sides of his face as his tongue lolled out.

“Oh, that’s Badger.” Sudden panic tightened Julie’s chest. “I hope it’s okay that I brought him! I completely forgot to tell you.” 

Emily waved Julie’s concern off like a mosquito. “It’s fine, Julie. We have loads of animals around here, so what’s one more?” She turned back to Badger and smacked a loud kiss onto the back of one of his satiny-soft ears. “And I think my Millie is going to just love you!” 

A bump at her shoulder drew Julie’s attention to Flynn. 

“It’s her,” Flynn whispered, holding her hand to her chest. “It’s really her.”

Julie rolled her eyes and threw an arm around her best friend. “Mrs. Pat-” Emily shot her a warning look. “Um, Emily, I’d like you to meet my best friend, Flynn.” 

Emily stood and brushed the driveway dust off of her knees before yanking Flynn into a hug just as powerful as she’d given Julie. “Flynn! Rose has told me just as much about you as she has about Julie!”

Flynn froze. “She has?”

Julie had to cover her mouth to keep from laughing. Flynn Carter, the pint-sized powerhouse who mowed her way through any ‘actual’ adult who told her she “just didn’t have enough experience to be a professional manager for one of the biggest rising stars in the country,” held a finger up in Brendan Urie’s face to tell him to wait while she finished a phone call with her mother, and bowed down to no one, had been reduced to a squeaky fangirl all over a woman whose name probably wouldn’t make it outside of her sleepy Texas hometown. 

People could say what they wanted about Flynn’s sarcastic personality and lack of proper respect for her “betters,” but there was no doubt that the girl had her priorities in exactly the right order. 

“All good things, hon, I promise,” Emily said, cupping Flynn’s face gently. “From what I hear, you are the one single-handedly responsible for Julie here getting discovered in the first place.” 

Flynn tried to deny that, but Julie stepped on her toe. “Every word is true. Flynn was the one who tricked me into singing at an open mic night, filmed it, and sent it in to Destiny Management’s Chattanooga branch, all without telling me. I definitely have her to thank for where I am now.” 

Emily’s eyes narrowed with a knowing smirk. “Ah, I see. A ‘forgiveness over permission’ kind of gal. Now that’s what I like to hear.” 

Julie could have sworn she heard Flynn squeak again, but she chose to ignore it. Let the poor girl have her moment. 

“Well, let’s get you three inside and into a bed. You look like you’re about to fall over. Here, let me help you with those.” Emily reached for one of Flynn’s three suitcases. 

“Oh, no, I can get those!” Flynn moved to take it back, but Emily snatched it away with surprising speed. 

“Flynn, I grew up on a ranch. I’m not as fragile as I look, I promise.” She nodded toward the house. “On a normal night I’d have Luke come out here and get all of these, but he’s been asleep since seven. He had a long day.” 

That was a name Julie hadn’t heard before. “Luke?” 

“My son. He’s about your age, and he pretty much runs the day to day around here on his own.” Something flickered across Emily’s face, barely a whisper of a look before she was smiling again. “All right, in we go!” 

Julie and Flynn followed Emily inside, Badger trotting along right behind them. Emily led them down a hallway and pointed at two bedrooms. “You two can pick which one you want. Julie, if you’re keeping Badger with you, you may want the one at the end of the hall; the bed in there is a queen instead of a full.” 

Julie looked at Flynn, who nodded. “All yours girl.” 

“Okay then, sounds good,” Julie said, smiling at Emily. “Thanks so much for this again, Emily.” 

That same odd, dim emotion darted through the older woman’s eyes again. “It’s been too quiet around here lately. I have a feeling you two are going to be just the spark this old place needs.” She turned and moved toward a closed door on the other side of the living room. “I’ll see you girls in the morning. Sweet dreams.” 

Julie turned to Flynn and they both squealed as quietly as they could. 

“I can’t believe we made it!” Julie whispered. 

“I can’t believe I just got a hug from Emily Wilson!” Flynn spun in a tiny circle before wrapping Julie in a fierce hug of her own. 

A sly smile curled up into Julie’s eyes as she squeezed Flynn back. “Am I forgiven now?”

“One hundred percent, no holds barred, yes times a million.” Flynn pulled back and shook her head. “Emily is already amazing, and we’ve only talked to her for, like, eight minutes. And she had the right idea earlier.” She held out her fist. “Forgiveness over permission?” 

Julie tapped her fist against Flynn’s. “Forgiveness over permission.”

Flynn stretched, a yawn swallowing whatever else she was about to say. “Well, Jules, as glad as I now am that we took this trip, this has been one long day. I’m going to bed and sleeping until noon.” She looked down at Julie’s luggage. “Hey, you left your keyboard in the car.” 

“It’s okay. I didn’t want Emily to feel obligated to carry it, and I’m too tired to go get it now. I’ll just get it in the morning.” 

Flynn shrugged. “If you say so, Jules. ‘Night, girl!” She dragged her suitcases into the first room Emily pointed out and shut the door. 

Silence fell over the house, broken only by Badger whining and pawing at Julie’s hand. “Hey, boy,” she said, crouching and scratching behind his ears. “You ready to crash? Because I don’t think I’ve ever been this tired.” 

Badger shoved his nose against her cheek and swiped a long kiss from Julie’s chin to her forehead. Julie deadpanned, painfully used to it. “Classy.” 

The dog just shoved his head in her chest, wagging his tail. 

She giggled, grabbed her own suitcase, and went to the room at the end of the hall. 

Julie didn’t know how exhausted she was until she saw the bed. She didn’t think she’d ever seen anything as beautiful as the bed covered in a thick blue quilt. She didn’t know muscles could ache this much from driving all day, but apparently she had an opportunity to corner the market on driver-cise videos. 

Oof. Yeah, she needed to go to sleep. Sleep, good. Driver-cise? Big nope. 

The mattress shifted a little and a soft, warm presence snuggled up next to her. “Badge, if I ever say I want to drive over twenty hours again for any reason, just shoot me,” she muttered, slipping away. 

A faint sound slid through her sleepy mind.

Guitar. And it was beautiful. 

Somebody must have left a CD on. Huh. She’d have to find out who the artist was in the morning. She could use that kind of talent on her next album. 

***

Jule was excited to be in Texas. She really was. The future, at least for the next month, was wide open and full of adventures to have and trouble to cause. 

But there was one part of home she was missing more than anything at that moment: blackout curtains. The sun poured through the windows on the other side of the room, piercing through Julie’s closed eyelids and making it impossible for her to go back to sleep. Even when she rolled onto her back and threw her arm over her eyes, she still couldn’t drift off again. She’d already seen it and couldn’t forget that it was there, lurking, taunting her to get up before she wasted an entire day. 

Yeah, the Texas sun was such a jerk. 

And Badger was its loyal minion, determined to keep sleep from her as he pawed at her arm, begging to be fed. 

Julie glared at her dog. “Et tu, Brute?” 

Giant puppy eyes just stared back. 

And then her stomach, that traitorous cow, grumbled, and she knew her battle was over. 

Fine. Fine, fine, fine, fine, fine. Julie groaned and rolled off the bed, stretching and rubbing her still sleepy eyes. Oh well. 

“Please, Emily, have coffee. Lots and lots of coffee,” she murmured to herself as she trudged toward the door. Before she opened it, though, she caught a good look at herself in the full length mirror in the corner of the room and paused. Yikes. Between her wrinkled t-shirt, mustard stained leggings, and hair creeping dangerously close to “Just Can’t Wait to be King” levels, Julie looked like what her father would affectionately call a “who’d-a-thunk-it.” The shirt and leggings she could live with; coffee and food first, then shower. But the hair? That was not a look anyone needed to experience. 

She opened her bag, pulled out a spray bottle, wet her curls, and pulled her fingers through them, detangling it just enough to split it into a pair of braided pigtails. 

Good enough. Now food. 

When Julie opened the door, the most heavenly scent she’d ever known wafted past her nose: bacon. Yes ma’am, thank you very much. 

The gentle tinkling of dishes led her down the hall and toward the kitchen. “Emily, that smells amaz-” She froze mid-sentence. 

At the stove, spatula hovering over a pan of sizzling bacon, clad in pajama pants and bare feet, shirt definitely nowhere in sight, stood the most beautiful man Julie had ever seen, staring at her like he’d seen a ghost. 

Another scent filled Julie’s nose, this one turning her stomach, and she finally spoke. “Bacon!” She stumbled across the kitchen, taking the spatula from the guy (most likely and super hopefully Luke), and hip checking him out of her way. She flipped the bacon onto a waiting plate and sighed in relief. 

She turned to look at the guy and slid the spatula back into his hand. “Sorry about that, but it was burning. And there will be no burned bacon on my watch, no siree.” 

He just narrowed his eyes and shook his head. “Who are you and what are you doing in my house?” 

Oh good, definitely Luke. Oh bad, he didn’t seem to know they’d be meeting today.

“Um…” She wasn’t sure how to take that. Surely he knew she and Flynn were coming.

Emily’s bedroom door opened, startling them both. “Luke, is that bacon I smell… Oh, Julie! I didn’t expect you to be up so early!” 

Before Julie could explain her theory about how the sun in Texas had way less manners than the sun in Tennessee, Luke pounced. “Mom, care to explain why there is a tiny stranger and…” He eyed Badger, who sat at his feet with his large, pointy ears perked, hoping for a bit of bacon. “... her weird bat dog in our house stealing my spatula and leaving my bacon half cooked?” 

Half cooked? Half cooked!? Was he out of his mind? That bacon was perfect, thick and not too crispy! 

Oo, not the most important thing at the moment. Priorities. 

Emily crossed her arms and leveled a look at her son that only the mother of a boy could possess. “I told you Julie and Flynn were coming-“

“There’s another one?” he snapped. 

“-four times, Luke. I even asked you to get the guest rooms ready, which you obviously did. Who did you think you were doing that for?” 

Luke snorted. “I don’t know! Your birthday is coming up, I thought Nana and Pops were coming.” 

“And they would need both rooms, why?” Emily raised a skeptical eyebrow. 

He shrugged, his mouth curling into a helpless grimace. “I thought maybe Grams was coming too?” 

Emily sighed and rubbed at the bridge of her nose. “Lucas Mitchell Patterson, I swear you are going to be the death of me one day.” 

“In my defense, Mom, every single time you tried to tell me, I was dealing with Dizzy, so you may as well have been talking to a stump.” 

“Oh please, even when you’re not dealing with that stupid horse it’s like I’m talking to a stump.” 

“Hey!” 

Okay, as cute as this was… 

“Hey!” Julie stepped in between Luke and Emily, extending her hand toward him. “You’re Luke? Cool. I’m Julie.” 

Luke took her hand automatically (thank you, Southern manners) and shook it. “Nice to meet you.” Then he blinked. Hard. “Wait, Julie… As in Molina? The famous pop star, Julie Molina?”

Ugh, she hated this part. “Yeah, that’s me. You a fan?” She hoped he picked up on her sarcasm, or this conversation was going to get really weird really fast. 

He just shrugged. “I don’t really listen to music. But I’ve been told your first album was pretty good.” He narrowed his eyes. “What are you doing all the way out here? Don’t you have a promotional tour for your second album or something?” 

The question itself wasn’t rude; according to every pop culture magazine in the country, that’s exactly what she was preparing to do. But with her recent split from her label (which had only happened forty-eight hours prior) and the reason behind that split, that was obviously not happening now. And that was a topic she was more than a little sensitive about at the moment. 

“Luke-” Emily warned. 

Julie didn’t even have to ask if Emily knew what had happened. Mom probably told her everything, which explained why Emily had offered her home so willingly in the first place.

“As a matter of fact, I don’t. I needed a break for a little while, and your mother was kind enough to take me in.” She met his eyes with a glare of her own. “Any more questions?” 

Luke said nothing. 

The click of an opening door and a long, low moan signalled Flynn had emerged from her cave. “My kingdom for a donut. Are there donuts?” She stopped in the kitchen doorway and gasped. “Whoa. Hello, Hercules.” 

Luke blew out a frustrated breath and crossed his arms over his bare chest. Julie wanted to smack her friend across the head with the bacon plate. Emily covered her mouth, but not before a snort of laughter escaped. 

“Mom!” He turned on his mother, his face an almost comical mixture of horror and betrayal.

Emily snorted again, unable to fight off the laugh at all this time. “I’m sorry, honey, but-” Emily couldn’t finish before she broke down in a fit of giggles. 

Luke stared at his mother for a moment, then rolled his eyes to the ceiling and sighed. “I’m getting to work.” He grabbed a hand full of bacon and flicked a half-hearted salute at Julie. “Nice meeting you, Julie.” He flicked another one at Flynn as he made his way down the hall. “Julie’s friend.” 

“It’s Flynn.” 

“Whatever.” 

Silence hung in the kitchen as the three women listened to a door slam shut. 

“Well,” Julie ventured carefully, “he seems…” Was there a word for super cute but also kind of a tool that wouldn’t offend his mother? 

“Please, you don’t have to tiptoe.” Emily blew a stray piece of dark hair out of her face. “I’m sorry about Luke. He takes a minute to warm up to strangers, especially when he thinks I’m being too trusting.” 

A heavy melancholy weighed Emily down for a moment. 

“Emily? Are you all right?” Flynn put a hand on her shoulder.

The older woman jumped and patted Flynn’s hand. “Fine, Flynn. Just fine.” She took a shaky breath, then screwed on her seemingly permanent smile. “So, what would you girls like to do today?” 

Julie wanted to address the fact that Emily changed the subject very quickly, but Flynn had never been good with feelings and she latched on to an opportunity to put some distance between them and whatever Emily left unsaid. “Oh, I need to do some shopping, for sure. I spent more time than I should have last night Googling Texas fashion trends, and I am grossly underprepared.” She whipped around and smacked Julie’s arm. “Why didn’t you tell me I would need eighteen different pairs of jeans?” 

Julie shrunk back. “Ow! Dork, I didn’t even know there were that many different types of jeans!” 

Flynn dismissed her with a wave before turning back to Emily. “Would you want to join us today? You seem like a woman who knows exactly where all the best shops are!” 

The stunned look on Emily’s face nearly broke Julie’s heart. “You want me to come?” 

“Of course!” Flynn wrapped an arm around Emily’s shoulders. “We’re about eleven hundred miles from home, and not only do we need a guide, but I’ve been waiting my whole life to meet you. No way I’m wasting a perfectly good Saturday to get to know you better!” 

Emily said something about not knowing what to wear, and that was all it took. Flynn steered them both into Emily’s room with the promise of putting together the perfect mall-trolling ensemble. 

Silence once again fell over the kitchen as Emily’s door closed. Taking a cue from Luke, prickly though he may be, Jule grabbed a handful of bacon and, tossing one to Badger, made her way back to her room. She threw a loose purple tank top, shorts, and her favorite black Converse onto her bed before finishing off her breakfast, feeding Badger, and heading to the hall bathroom. 

Once she was showered and ready (and once Badger was peacefully napping in her room), she stepped out onto the front porch to wait for Flynn and Emily. The sight before her weakened her knees. 

What Flynn described as the “twice-cursed deserts of central Texas” was anything but. Hills as green as emeralds rolled for miles in every single direction, dotted here and there with flat spots of lighter green pasture land. Julie took a deep breath, trying to quell the almost painful swelling in her chest. This land was healthy, wild, and utterly free, something Julie hadn’t been in a long time. How had she gone her whole life not knowing that somewhere this magnificent existed? A ghost of a melody flitted through her mind, mostly just the echoes of the wind in the trees and the distant rush of water. It wasn’t much, but it was more than she’d had in almost a year. If this place didn’t inspire something new in her for the next few weeks, nothing ever would. 

Wait… Did all this land belong to the Pattersons? 

“Keep moving, boy. Come on, that’s it.” 

His voice was faint, coming from the other side of the house, but that was definitely Luke. She walked along the wrap around porch and turned a corner, ducking back a little before he saw her. 

Behind the house stood a large round pen. Thick wooden posts formed the six-foot high, fence-like walls, and a gate at the back of the pen connected to a fence that stretched all around a wide pasture. The plain was dotted with about seven horses, all grazing on the lush grass. 

Luke, fully dressed with a dusty cowboy hat protecting him from the already-hot midmorning sun, walked in a small circle in the center of the pen, spinning a long rope at his side, flicking it every few seconds at the absolutely gorgeous golden horse running around the pen. He continued to whistle and click at the horse, flicking the rope at its back legs and driving it on every time it slowed down. 

Without thinking, Julie stepped around the corner of the house and wandered as close to the pen as she could without stepping off the porch. Leaning her elbows on the smooth railing, she watched as Luke kept pushing the horse away from him. What in the world was he doing? 

The horse flicked his head up, and his huge, dark eyes fell on Julie. He slowed down again, this time stopping altogether. Luke went after him with the end of the rope, but this time the horse ignored him and kept his eyes on Julie. 

“Hey! Dizzy.” Luke clicked his tongue at the horse and tugged gently at his halter, but no luck. He followed the horse’s gaze to Julie, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion. He climbed up on the wall of the pen next to Dizzy’s head and slowly waved his hand in front of the animal’s face. The horse blinked, but that was the only indication that he even noticed anyone there. 

Luke slid his gaze to hers again, his lips pursed in thought. “Hey, Julie, how comfortable are you around animals?” 

Fun fact: Julie loved animals. Not just dogs and cats, no, she loved all animals. Except roaches. And mosquitos. And horseflies. Those could all die in a nuclear explosion and she wouldn’t give it a second thought. But the rest? Whether they had fur or scales or feathers or that weird slimy skin amphibians had, she was a fan. 

Instead of answering him, though, she stepped out into the yard and approached the pen slowly. When she finally got to the tall wall, she held out a hand to the horse, allowing him to sniff her. His velvety lips slipped over her flat palm, searching for a treat, but he didn’t pull away from her. 

Julie reached a hand up and gently stroked the side of his cheek. “Hey, boy. Nice to meet you.” She flicked a look at Luke. “What are you doing with him?” 

“Trying to get him to join up, but he’s being difficult.” Luke’s voice was distracted, but when Julie looked at him again, his eyes were trained on where her hand touched Dizzy’s cheek. 

Julie tilted her head at him. “Join up?” 

He blinked hard and shook himself back to the present. “Uh, trying to get him to trust me. I can lure him in here with food now, but I’m hoping to get to where being with me is enough of an incentive.” 

Julie tilted her head again. “Is that, like, a normal thing?” 

Luke nodded. “Yeah, that’s kind of what I do. This is a horse training and rehabilitation ranch. My, uh… My dad started it after he took over from my grandpa.” He glanced at her. “Didn’t my mom tell you what kind of ranch this is?” 

Julie shook her head as she moved her hand further down Dizzy’s neck, patting him as she went. “So, what’s this guy’s story?” 

Luke started to answer, but then Flynn called her name from the front porch. 

“I’m back here.” 

Flynn sauntered to the back side of the house, her arm looped through Emily’s. “Come on, Jules! Emily is going to take us to her favorite boutique, and the owner is the one who designs the clothes! Couldn’t you die?” She finally looked behind Julie and noticed what was happening in the pen. “Oh, Hercules found himself a Pegasus, I see.” She leveled a sly smile at Julie. “Texas just keeps getting better and better, doesn’t it Jules? This trip was a fantastic idea.”

Oh, Flynn was going to die later. 

Emily grinned and waved at Luke. “We’re heading to town for a little shopping, Luke. We’ll be back this evening.” 

Luke was silent for a long moment, then nodded slowly. “Okay. See you then. Have fun,” he said with a little wave. 

The three women turned to leave, when Luke called after them. “Mom?” 

“Yes?” 

Hesitation melted into an impossibly tender smile. “You look great.” 

For the first time, Julie noticed Emily’s outfit: a tan suede vest with a line of fringe around the bottom hung over a denim topped sundress dress with a burgundy paisley skirt. The look was finished with a pair of suede gladiator sandals the same color as the vest which Julie was pretty sure were Flynn’s. Luke was right. Emily was a knock-out. 

And judging from his reaction, that didn’t happen often. 

“All thanks to Flynn, honey. We’ll see you this afternoon. Don’t forget to feed both the dogs!”

“Wait, both?” 

***

By the time they got back to the ranch, Julie was convinced that Flynn had single-handedly kept the Bribona clothing industry in business. Bags upon bags spilled out of the car. 

“Let’s hurry and get these inside,” Flynn said, grabbing any bag she could reach. “All I want to do is kick these shoes off and sit in a nice long bubble bath.” 

“Girl, same,” Julie sighed. “I’ll be shocked if my arms and legs don’t fall off before the night is over.”

As Emily opened the door, two furry bodies streaked out of the house and into the yard, chasing and nipping at one another. One was Badger, and the other was a beautiful speckled Australian shepherd. 

“Ah, Millie finally found Badger. They should be plenty of company for each other while you’re here,” Emily said, leading the way back into the house. 

The strong scent of fried chicken hovered in the air, and Julie’s stomach practically roared. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d had fried chicken. Or fried anything for that matter. Her former label had always stressed that their singers had to look as good as they sounded. That meant bland food. Always. Man, being famous sucked. 

“Hope you three are hungry,” Luke called from the kitchen. 

“Starving!” all three women answered as they hauled their findings into the house. 

Luke stood over the stove (shirt firmly in place this time), turning chicken legs and wings over in the bubbling oil. “Whoa,” he said when he saw just how many bags were in their hands. “Is there anything left in town?” 

Emily rolled her eyes and pushed Julie and Flynn toward their rooms. “Stick to cooking and horses, dear boy. Stand up is not your forte.” 

Oof, Emily was savage. 

The stars in Flynn’s eyes twinkled a little brighter as she and Julie threw all the bags in Flynn’s room to sort through later.

Dinner was delicious. She was definitely taking this recipe home with her. 

Luke practically inhaled his food, barely taking ten minutes to plow through two full helpings. 

“Um, Luke,” Emily ventured, her fork hovering in front of her mouth, “were you planning on tasting your food today?” 

“Sorry, Mom, gotta hurry. I’m…” He paused, scratching at the back of his neck. “I’m heading out.” 

Emily lowered her fork completely, her food forgotten. “I’m sorry, you’re what? You do realize it’s already 6:30, don’t you?”

Emily’s words from the night before flooded back. Heavens, if Luke’s bedtime was always that early, when did he ever have time for fun? 

Luke nodded. “Carrie and the guys have been trying to get me to come out with them for ages, and… I don’t know, I just feel like tonight’s the right night to take them up on it.” 

A slow smile had Emily’s face glowing. “That’s wonderful, honey. And may I say, it is about time!” She jumped a little, an idea clearly sparking. “Why don’t you take Julie and Flynn with you?” She turned to the other women at the table. “What do you two say? You hung out with an old lady like me all day; why don’t you go make some friends your age too?” 

Luke’s eyes widened. “Um…” 

Flynn turned to Emily. “Oh, that’s okay, really.” 

Julie’s blood surged in her veins. “Let’s go.” 

All three of the other people at the table stared at her. Julie had said numerous times during the meal that she was exhausted and wanted nothing more than to curl up on her bed and take a fourteen hour nap. 

And she’d been desperate to. 

A minute ago. 

But as soon as Emily had mentioned them going for a night out, something in her woke up and screamed, “Get going!” Even the thought of staying behind made her skin crawl. Wherever Luke was headed, she needed to be there too. 

She stood and took her plate to the sink. “What’s dishwashing protocol here?” she asked, eyeing the dishwasher. 

“Don’t you dare, Julie. I’ll take care of it,” Emily said, bumping Julie out of the way much like Julie had done to Luke that morning. 

“Emily,” Flynn started, “are you sure-”

The older woman tutted Flyn silent. “I’ve had a busier day than I’ve had in a long time. A few hours to myself would do my heart some good.” She gazed out the window and scrunched her nose. “I may take Marmalade out for a ride. It’s beautiful this evening.”

“Mom.” Luke loomed behind his mom, his voice stern with warning. 

“We’ll stay on the trails, Luke, I promise.” She turned around and tweaked his nose with her soapy fingers. “And for the record, young man, I’ve been riding this land longer than you’ve been alive. I know what I’m doing.” She pushed him off and shooed a hand at all of them. “You three go freshen up, and have a blast.” 

Luke wrinkled his nose. “Freshen up?” He pulled at the gray flannel he wore over a black… Was that a Guns and Roses t-shirt? “I was just going to wear this.” 

“No son of mine is going to show up anywhere in public smelling like the back-end of a horse.” Emily pointed to the stairs. “Go shower. Now.” 

Luke gaped at his mother, and Julie thought he looked like a little boy who wanted to argue with his mom about not getting dessert. But he trudged toward the stairs anyway. She couldn’t help but smile; it didn’t matter how old they got, Southern boys would always listen to their mamas. 

Emily nodded toward Flynn’s room. “Why don’t you two go change into one of those cute new outfits you got today! Julie, that light green sundress you bought would look fabulous with my denim vest.” 

Flynn shook her head. “Emily, are you absolutely sure you want us to go?” 

Instead of answering Flynn, Emily leveled a look at Julie. “Julie dear, what would you like to do?” 

It sounded more like a challenge than a question, and that same inexplicable fire surged through her body again. “Come on, Flynn. Emily’s going for a ride, and we’re both about useless on a horse. We’d have to stay behind anyway. Let’s go.” Julie held out her arm. 

Suspicion pinched Flynn’s features, but she hooked her arm through Julie’s and followed her. 

“Don’t forget those cute boots you brought with you!” Emily called after them, a giggle in her voice. 

Twenty minutes later, Julie and Flynn emerged from Flynn’s room, brand new dresses and shiny boots ready for… wherever Luke was headed. 

Emily squealed and grabbed their hands. “You two look wonderful! Luke, don’t they look wonderful?” 

“Stunning,” came a bland reply.

Julie hadn’t noticed Luke standing by the door, but there he was in all his flanneled-t-shirted-jeaned-and-booted glory. The exact same thing he’d worn to work, just different colors. Yeesh, could this guy be more of a cowboy? 

The only difference was his hat; instead of the dusty brown felt from before, this one was made of soft, gray leather with a narrower brim, more for looks than actual function. Hm. It definitely wasn’t bad. 

“You two ready to go?” Luke nodded toward the door. 

“We certainly are.” Flynn snagged Julie’s keys from her hand and darted out the door. “I’m driving us!” 

Julie turned to Luke, who still looked like he didn’t quite know what to make of Flynn. “I think Flynn wants to follow you. She saw your truck when Emily took us shopping and declared that the only way she’d ever get in it was if her legs were broken and she couldn’t walk.” 

Luke huffed. “That’s-” He paused, then slumped a little. “That’s not unfair. All right.” He held open the door, gesturing for her to head out first. 

Flynn sat on the sill of Julie’s open driver’s seat window, her arms resting on the top of the car. “Where we headed, Cowboy?”

Luke wrinkled his nose as he unlocked his truck. “Don’t call me ‘Cowboy.’ And it’s a little place called Mona’s.” He cranked his truck and rolled his window down as Julie reached for her passenger side door. “Oh, and ladies?” He hung his elbow out the window and threw them a smirk. “Do try to keep up.” 

Then he peeled out of the yard and down the long gravel driveway. 

Julie threw herself into the car and yanked her seatbelt into place. “Go!” 

Flynn stepped on it, laughing as the wind whipped through her curls. 

Julie’s cells sang as they followed Luke down the winding driveway and out onto the main road. It was unlike any feeling she’d ever had before, like her very bones were vibrating. Wherever they were headed, it was the beginning. Beginning of what? Who knew. 

But Julie couldn’t wait to find out.


	2. Challenge Accepted

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Julie, Flynn, and Luke finally arrive at Mona's. Songs are sung, bets are lost, and the beginning of our shenanigans ensues!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey-o, fellow travellers! 
> 
> Here we are! This is honestly the scene that inspired this whole fic. It was a Heartland hc I had that made way more sense with Luke and Julie. 
> 
> If you're like me, listening to the music while reading makes the experience all the richer! 
> 
> The songs in this chapter are:  
> \- Go Big or Go Home, by Jess Moskaluke  
> -Me Neither, by Brad Paisley  
> \- The Devil Went Down to Georgia by the LEGENDARY Charlie Daniels. 
> 
> And the movie reference is “Coyote Ugly” 
> 
> As always, I hope you enjoy, and thanks for coming along for the ride!
> 
> ~Courty 
> 
> PS- I you see any egregious grammar errors, feel free to let me know. I didn't proof the whole thing, and I wanted to get this up, so I promise I'll fix it later! 
> 
> Giddy up!!
> 
> EDIT: Most mistakes have been fixed and I figured out italics! GAME CHANGER! 
> 
> Okay I’m done...

“Julie, you do realize this is where we get murdered, right?” 

Julie wanted to laugh at Flynn’s dramatics, but she wasn’t so sure her friend was wrong. 

Luke had driven them to a small, shabby shack that was literally out in the middle of nowhere. Julie couldn’t remember seeing a single other building for the past ten minutes, and the road to the place was more dirt than anything else. The whole setup was just this side of creepy, and Julie was not a fan so far. 

If it hadn’t been for the numerous cars scattered around the open field that served as a parking lot, she would have told Flynn to turn around and head back to Ferus Springs. But when they parked and Julie opened her door, the dull thump of live music washed over her like a balm, soothing her nerves and rekindling the burn that still lurked beneath her skin. 

Yeah, this was where she needed to be tonight, she knew it without a doubt. 

“You better not try anything funny, Patterson!” Flynn snapped, holding up a small cylinder. “I have mace strong enough to make a bear cry. Try me!” 

Much to Julie’s shock, Luke actually laughed. “Flynn, I own almost twenty-one hundred acres of land, and I don’t like going out. If I was a psycho murderer, I wouldn’t drag you this far away from home to do it.” 

That should have bothered Julie, it really should have, but she had no fear right now. Whatever was going to happen, even if Luke turned out to be a Ted Bundy wannabe, she’d face it head on. 

Flynn huffed and put her mace away. “Okay, we’re safe. This nerd doesn’t even know serial killer rule number 1: never kill where you live.”

“Yeah, no more Criminal Minds for you,” Julie muttered, hooking her arm through Flynn’s and dragging her through the door after Luke. 

Whatever misgivings she had from the outside melted away as Julie gazed around Mona’s. Warm, bright light flooded the room, and the music was actually the product of a live band set up on a stage to their left. Thin tapestries in deep, rich colors hung from the walls in irregular draping patterns, including one fully unfurled tapestry of a howling coyote with crystal blue eyes. About forty people occupied the tables, and no two chairs or tables made a matching pair, giving the place a beautifully bohemian look that Julie could only describe as cozy. She grinned. This was exactly where she needed to be tonight, surrounded by this glorious, rowdy chaos that sent her heart soaring in complete freedom. 

“Yeah, that’s my girl!” a deep voice shouted from their right. A positively huge guy stood behind the bar, wiping out a glass. He set the dish and rag down on the counter behind him so he could cup his mouth and shout toward the other side of the room. 

A slamming guitar riff blasted through the room, followed by an explosion of drums and bass and… was that a violin? Julie whipped back around to the stage; something fun was happening, that she knew for sure. 

Flynn whistled. “Whoa, what kind of place is this?” 

A woman with long dark waves stood up in front of the house band, wireless mic in hand, tapping her booted foot in time to the music. But it wasn’t until she held the mic to her mouth and began to sing that Julie finally realized just what kind of place this was. 

_Today's the day  
Gonna lay it all down  
You gotta have guts to get to glory_

_No room for fear  
Gotta stare it in the eyes  
Throw it to the floor and don't be sorry_

“‘Atta girl, Felicity!” the guy at the bar whooped, swinging the towel he held like a lasso. 

_Pump up the fight kick it into overdrive  
It's time to light it up  
5,4,3,2,1_

Karaoke bar. 

Mona’s was a freaking karaoke bar, and Julie could not be more excited. And by the looks of it, this was no ordinary karaoke bar. Live music? Professional grade equipment? And the chick singing was absolutely phenomenal. If she were still signed herself, Julie would be asking this woman if she’d like a career in music. But she wasn’t signed. And whoever the woman was, she looked perfectly happy with her tiny audience. 

Good decisions all around.

_Go big, or go home  
Each step you take you got to own  
Go hard go strong  
It's time to put your game face on_

Julie watched the woman - Felicity - perform, mesmerized by the wild way she engaged the crowd, as if she performed exactly how she wanted to and didn’t give two craps what anyone thought about her. Her dark hair whipped around like a flag in the wind, declaring that she was who she was and anyone who didn’t like it could promptly kiss her rear. 

Bright blue caught Julie’s attention, and that was when she noticed that Felicity was staring right at her as she rocked out. That was weird. But the older woman continued to sing to Julie, finishing the chorus before moving her attention to the rest of her audience. 

_Push up  
Those sleeves  
Don't be afraid to skin your knees  
Go big  
Or go  
Home_

A high gasp rang through the air, slicing right through the music. “Luke Patterson!” 

Light auburn hair flashed across Julie’s field of vision and slammed into Luke, nearly knocking him back through the door. A young woman clung to Luke like another shirt, squeezing his neck as if he was a life preserver. 

Now, it had barely been twelve hours since Julie’s bacon and irritation infused introduction to this guy, so she was by no means a Luke Patterson expert. But the vibe she did pick up from him was definitely not “I’m Olaf and I like warm hugs.” So when he wrapped his arms around the woman and squeezed her back with a huge grin, Julie had to admit that she was pleasantly taken aback. 

“Hey, Carrie,” he chuckled, rubbing her back. 

Carrie pulled away from him but kept her hands on his shoulders. “Don’t you ‘Hey, Carrie’ me!” she snapped, smacking his arm. “Why didn’t you tell us you were coming tonight?” She whirled around and took in Julie and Flynn with an unreadable expression. “Or that you were bringing... guests?” Her voice faded at the end.

Julie wished she could disappear. 

Luke released her and shrugged. “I figured I’d surprise everyone. As for these two…” He turned a thoughtful look at them, as if trying to figure out how to explain their presence. 

Cute, but no need. Julie was a big girl and could introduce herself. 

“Hi, I’m Julie,” she said, holding out a hand. 

Carrie nodded. “Yeah, I know who you are.” She smiled and took her hand, firm and sure. “Nice to meet you!” 

“You too. Carrie, was it?” 

“Yes ma’am!” She turned to Flynn. “And you are…” 

“Flynn Carter. I’m Julie’s manager.” 

“And my best friend,” Julie finished, throwing her arm around Flynn’s shoulders and giving her a squeeze. She hated when Flynn went all professional like that. They were on vacation, she wasn’t her manager here. 

“Sweet. So, how did you two wind up stuck with this cranky Neanderthal?” Carrie threw her thumb back in Luke’s direction.

Luke scoffed. “‘Cranky Neanderthal,’ huh?” he laughed, poking at her sides. 

Carrie smacked his hand away. “Paws off, Patterson!” 

He did as she asked, but draped an arm around her shoulders. Carrie rolled her eyes at him and turned back to Julie and Flynn. “Please excuse him. I’ve tried to train him better, but he’s about hopeless.” She blew a stray strand of hair from her face. “You were saying? How are you two here with him?” 

Julie couldn’t take her eyes off the pair. Who was this guy and what had he done with Luke? 

“We’re staying at his ranch,” Flynn answered. “His mom and Julie’s mom were college roommates, and when Julie here needed a little vacation, Emily offered to put us up for free.” Her eyes flicked between Luke and Carrie. “But we’re only here for a month, so don’t worry. Your boyfriend is safe.” 

Carrie’s eyes widened. “My…” She glanced back at Luke. “Oh no.” She laughed. “Flynn, I’m not sure what you’ve heard about Southerners, but I can promise you, the whole ‘inbreeding’ thing is just a hurtful stereotype. Luke’s my cousin. His mom and my dad are twins.” 

Julie was just about to tell her that those jokes were just as annoying in Tennessee, but Luke jumped in and tugged Carrie toward the middle of the room. “Oh, look, is that Bobby?” 

Carrie motioned for Julie and Flynn to follow them. 

Julie glanced back up at Felicity, who was watching her with a mischievous gleam in her eyes. 

_So get ready  
Here's your shot  
Show 'em what you're made of  
5,4,3,2,1_

That same weird energy surged through Julie’s chest again. 

_Go big or go home  
Each step you take you got to own  
Go hard go strong  
It's time to put your game face on_

Julie smiled. 

_Push up  
Those sleeves  
Don't be afraid to skin your knees_

She never had been before. 

_Go big  
Or go  
Home!_

“Jules! Come on!” 

Flynn’s voice snapped her back to the present and just like that, the spell was broken. Felicity’s song ended, and the house band began to play a quieter assortment of instrumental country tunes. 

Flynn motioned her over to a table near the wall. Two guys already occupied it, each nursing a beer and smiling when Carrie and Luke walked up. 

“Look who I found!” Carrie sang.

“Dude!” One of them nearly toppled his chair over trying to get up and wrapped Luke in a fierce hug. “It’s been ages!” 

Luke slapped the guy on the shoulder in a brotherly hug. “Bobby, you dork, you saw me last week.”

“On your ranch trying to keep a feral horse I barely managed to wrangle into a trailer from killing you because you insist, ‘He’s not feral, he’s just scared’ does not count as ‘seeing you,’ bro.” Bobby snatched Luke’s hat off his head and ruffled his already messy hair. “Nice to see you in the land of the living again. What made you come out?” 

Luke took his hat back and settled it on his head. “Being the Bribona hermit was getting boring.” He gestured toward Julie and Flynn. “Plus, Mom wanted me to show our guests around.” He turned to the blond guy who came up behind Bobby’s shoulder. “Nick, man, good to see you,” he said, slapping his hand in a low five and then bumping his fist. 

Nick nodded, taking a swig of his beer. “You too, Luke. Been a minute.” Nick glanced at Julie and then blanched. “Whoa, is that Julie Molina?” 

Flynn shot Julie an apologetic look and sighed. 

Julie smiled. “It is, but I just go by Julie these days.” 

“Cool.” Nick gestured toward the table. “I’m Nick. I’ve been friends with these three psychos since high school. Join us?” 

Once they were all seated, Bobby threw an arm around Carrie and settled back into his seat. “So, Julie Molina, huh? And you’re Flynn? Nice to meet you!” He ran a hand through his dark hair. “I’m Bobby, Carrie’s big brother.” 

“Bobby, you are one minute forty-seven seconds older than me!” Carrie snapped, smacking his arm just like she’d smacked Luke’s. “And that’s only because your chubby butt shoved me on the way to the birth canal. Stop introducing yourself as my big brother.” 

Bobby shrugged and tightened his arm around his sister’s shoulders. “My point still stands.” 

“Oh, Bobby, we all know who’s in charge between the two of you,” a new voice laughed. Felicity stood over them, a glass bowl in her hand. “Hey, lookie here! New friends!” 

The big guy from the bar sidled up behind Felicity and wrapped his arms around her waist. “New friends? Nice!” He nudged the back of Nick’s chair and nodded toward the bar. “Sorry, Nicky, but break time’s over. Your turn pouring drinks, man.” 

Nick blew out a dramatic sigh and made a huge show of getting up. “Employee abuse, Jonas. I’m calling HR!” 

Felicity glanced back at him, grinning. “HR says get to work, Simmons!” 

“Oo, hey, Nick, make me one of those fruity things I like, please?” Carrie asked, grinning at him and playfully batting her eyelashes. 

The shift in Nick’s expression was so subtle Julie almost missed it. But there was no mistaking that barely there softness as he smiled back at Carrie. “Sure thing, Carrie girl.” 

Uh oh. Someone had a crush on Carrie. 

“Luke,” Felicity said, sliding one arm around Luke’s shoulders, “it’s so good to see you again. It’s been ages!” 

Jonas clapped him on the shoulder. “Why don’t you introduce us to these lovely ladies?” 

Luke introduced them and Felicity set the bowl on the table. “Nice to meet you both. I’m Felicity, and this is Jonas, my ridiculous but amazing husband. Welcome to Mona’s!” She pulled three slips of paper and a pen from her apron pocket. “If you three will write your names on these, I’d greatly appreciate it.” 

Julie reached for the pen, but Flynn stayed her hand. “Why is that?” 

Felicity grinned. “Oh, we have this little tradition. Everyone in the building, owners included, puts their names in the bowl when they come in. I roll a dice and that’s how many names get drawn for karaoke performances for the night. Then you draw a song out of the bowl up front, show it to the band, and away we go! Three was the magic number tonight, and I drew my name first.” She gestured toward the stage with a pointed look at Julie. “Hence my little performance when you came in.” 

“Oh.” Flynn moved her hand away, and Julie grabbed the pen. “Okay, sounds like fun!” 

Julie went ahead and wrote all three of their names and put them in. 

“Wait, not-” Luke started, but Carrie put her hand over his mouth. 

“What?” Julie asked. 

“He’s fine.” Carrie leaned over and whispered in Luke’s ear. He glared at her, but settled back in his chair. 

Felicity shoved her hand into the bowl, mixing the names around and then took the bowl up. “I’ll draw another name in a few minutes. Y’all have fun!” She and Jonas made their way back to the bar. 

“So,” Julie said, turning to Bobby and Carrie, “I’m guessing country is just about all you’ll get out of that bowl up there?” 

Bobby shook his head. “Nah. I mean, yeah, there’s a lot, but we have a good assortment up there. And even if you do get a country song, you can make a request if you feel like it.” 

Julie shrugged. “Country sounds like a party to me.” 

Luke snorted. 

Whatever energy was still flowing through her veins turned red with anger. What was his deal? “Something in your throat, Patterson?” 

He shook his head and leveled a look at her. A sardonic look. He was being sardonic with her. How dare he? “What?” she snapped. 

“Come on, Julie. What does a little L.A. pop princess know about country music?” 

L.A. pop princess? That’s how he saw her? 

“Excuse you-” Flynn started. 

Julie held up a hand. “It’s all right, Flynn. Let the backwoods hick think what he wants.” 

“Hick, am I?” 

“As far as I’m concerned.” 

Luke stood up and crossed his arms. “I could sing circles around you, Molina.” 

Julie followed right behind him. “In what universe? Pop princess, remember?” 

Just as he moved to answer, Felicity’s voice rang out, interrupting whatever argument was about to take place. “All right, friends and family,” she called, “we’re going to kick the rest of our karaoke off with drawing our last two names. Luke, you’re up first, and Julie, you’ll finish the night off!” 

They both stared at the back. Luke whirled on Carrie. “‘The chances of you getting picked are zero to none,’ huh?” 

Carrie met his glare with regret. “Luke, you were my math tutor; you know I always sucked at probabilities.” She winced. “I’m sorry.” 

“Aw, Luke, are we nervous?” Julie couldn’t fight the surge of satisfaction at the angry blush that bled through his cheeks. 

He narrowed his eyes. “You wish.” He sneered, an idea lighting up his eyes. “Tell you what, Julie, why don’t you put your money where your mouth is.” 

And this just got interesting. “Name it.” 

“We each sing. Whoever gets the loudest applause wins. I win, you have to be my ranch hand. That means you help with chores throughout the day and help me with Dizzy.” 

Wait. What? That was not where she thought he was going. “Why?” 

“That horse hasn’t let anyone touch him since he got here, but this morning he let you. I’ve had him for two weeks now, and I haven’t gotten anywhere with him. You might be just what I need to get through to him and get him adopted.” He raised an eyebrow and held out his hand. “What do you say? Think you can handle a backwoods hick like me?” 

Julie didn’t even have to think about it. She grabbed his hand and squeezed. “You’re on, Cowboy.”

He pulled her toward him, so close their noses almost brushed. “Don’t call me Cowboy.” With that, he made his way up to the front and pulled a piece of paper out of the bowl at the side of the stage. He read it and nodded, showing it to the band. The banjo player laughed and counted the rest of them in. 

As soon as the music started, Julie wrinkled her nose. Brad Paisley’s “Me Neither” was definitely not the confidence boosting number she would have hoped for, but Luke seemed to relish the opportunity to sing it. He grabbed the wireless mic from its stand and jumped off the stage, making his way straight toward Julie, a sly smile lighting up his eyes. He slid into the empty chair next to her and rested his arm on her shoulder.

_Darling I've been standing here just watching you all night  
And I think I've even caught you watching me a couple times_

She fought down an audible gasp. He was beyond annoying at this point, and she kind of wanted to punch him in his ridiculously gorgeous face, but she had to make one very difficult admission: he was good. Like, really good. 

He flashed her a wink and she had to fight to keep from gagging. 

_If I don't ask I'll never know  
This may sound dumb but here we go  
Do you believe in love at first sight?_

She opened her mouth to answer, but he didn’t give her the chance. 

_Me neither I'm glad that we agree  
Believe me that's a big relief_

He wiped the back of his fist across his forehead as if in relief and then glanced around the room, pretending to scrutinize it. 

_Well this place is awful crowded  
And this music is so loud  
Would you like to go and grab a bite to eat?  
Me neither_

So that was his plan, huh? Instead of a guy trying to cover up his pathetic attempts to hit on a woman like Paisley originally intended, he was singing it as if his message was completely sincere. He’s just teasing her, nothing more. 

Okay, if that was how he wanted to play it, then game on. 

During the short riff between the chorus and the first verse, a gust of wind from the open door grabbed Julie’s attention for a second. A guy in a red flannel stood in the doorway, eyes wide as he watched Luke hop around the table. He watched Luke for a few seconds, then frantically pulled his phone from his pocket.

Luke’s face snapped in front of her vision, that smile as attractive as it was infuriating. Hm. She’d never hated anyone before. Luke Patterson was very quickly testing that record. 

_It's nice to finally meet a girl who doesn't move too fast  
I was only checking that's the reason that I asked  
Relationships need time to grow  
You and I should take this slow_

He stood and bowed at his waist, holding his hand out. 

_Darling tell me would you like to dance?_

She reached out to slap his hand away, but he flipped it smoothly away from her and continued waltzing his way around their table, his eyes never leaving Julie’s. 

_Me neither I was just bein' polite_

He collapsed back into the chair next to her and propped his feet up on the table. 

_Thank goodness my feet are much too tired  
I'm sure your tired too  
I can see an empty booth  
Would you like to maybe sit and talk awhile?_

His arm slid around her shoulders, then slid away just as fast. Julie refused to acknowledge the tiny flutter his touch left across her skin. 

_Me neither  
We'd never get along  
I'm thinking there's no chemistry at all  
This has been a waste of time  
And I'm running out of lines  
Don't you think it's time for me to end this song?_

The music stopped for a beat, and Luke locked her in with an expectant stare. 

She wasn’t sure how long she was supposed to stay quiet, and just as she was about to give him a snarky, “Yes,” Luke interrupted her yet again. 

_Me neither_

The music continued for another minute or two, Luke hopping up on the stage to jam with the band. He stood in front of each person playing, tapping his foot and slapping his knee, yelling a random, “Aw yeah!” every once in a while. When the music finally stopped, Luke slid the microphone back into its stand and bowed deeply for the audience, who all erupted into thunderous applause. 

She hated to admit, but that was an amazing performance. His natural voice didn’t have quite the twang the song required, but over all? That was an excellent. 

But it was her turn. And she would not be holding anything back. 

She walked to the front, snapping her hands together in a long, slow clap. “Truly an exceptional performance, Mr. Patterson.” She crossed her arms and tossed her head. “And now for my prize.” 

He watched her warily. “Sorry, what?” 

“You jumped up on stage before I told you what I wanted if I won.” 

“And that is…” 

She stepped up to him, as close to nose to nose as she could get. “If I win-”

*** 

“- I get your hat.” 

Surely he hadn’t heard her right. “Come again?” 

She reached up and tapped the wide gray brim shading his face. “I win, I get your hat. Simple as that.” She lifted a slender eyebrow. 

“My hat? Seriously?” 

“Yeah. Those things are expensive,” she said as if that were the most obvious thing in the world. “Maybe you should have been a little more patient.” 

Luke’s mind went a little fuzzy watching her strut — yes, strut, the diva — to the stage and pull a song from the bowl. 

He buckled into the chair Julie vacated, staring at the table, his thoughts a confused jumble of sensations and heat. 

What. Just. Happened? 

His stomach dropped at the thought that he’d just done that. He’d sworn off that the night he’d lost… 

He released a breath he didn’t realize he was holding and swallowed, fighting down a twisting bout of nausea. 

Heavy hands fell on his shoulders, and a familiar laugh helped to anchor him and bring him from the brink of panic. 

“Luke, buddy,” Reggie said, his voice heavy with hesitation. “What was that?” 

When had Reggie gotten there? 

Luke shook his head, meeting Carrie and Bobby’s eyes as well, both of them in various stages of shock. “I have no idea.” 

“Luke, when was the last time you-” Bobby began. 

“Seven years. That night.” 

Before he could let his mind wander down that rabbit hole, four all-too-familiar drum beats interrupted his thoughts, followed by a fiddle solo that anyone from any state could identify without a hesitation. 

No way. 

But there was no mistaking the confidence on Julie’s face as she bobbed to the beat of the music before her clear, smooth voice wrapped around his mind like a noose. She left the microphone in the mic stand, but held onto it so she could move the stand around with her. 

_The Devil went down to Georgia  
He was lookin' for a soul to steal  
He was in a bind 'cause he was way behind  
And he was willin' to make a deal_

Julie angled her body this way and that, allowing her to provide the illusion that she was involving the whole audience in her performance. But the challenge in those big brown eyes? That was for Luke and Luke alone. 

She pulled the mic from its stand and made her way toward an empty table near the front and center spot. 

_When he came across this young man  
Sawin' on a fiddle and playin' it hot_

Then she stepped up on one of the chairs and boosted herself up onto the table. 

_And the Devil jumped upon a hickory stump  
And said, "Boy, let me tell you what"_

Okay, even Luke could admit that move was hot. But he would never say that out loud. To anyone. Because “hot” was the last word he wanted to use when it came to Julie freaking Molina. 

(Even if it was completely appropriate and one hundred percent accurate.)

_"I guess you didn't know it, but I'm a fiddle player, too  
And if you'd care to take a dare, I'll make a bet with you  
Now you play pretty good fiddle, boy, but give the Devil his due  
I'll bet a fiddle of gold against your soul  
'Cause I think I'm better than you"_

Julie stepped off the table and made her way right into Luke’s face. 

_The boy said, "My name's Johnny, and it might be a sin  
But I'll take your bet, you're gonna regret  
'Cause I am the best that's ever been.” _

So, he was supposed to be the Devil in this situation. Okay, then. 

Julie made her way back toward the stage and hopped up, sliding the mic back into the stand so she could dance around as she sang. 

Dang. This girl was definitely a natural performer.

_Johnny, rosin up your bow and play your fiddle hard  
'Cause Hell's broke loose in Georgia and the Devil deals the cards  
And if you win, you get this shiny fiddle made of gold  
But if you lose, the devil gets your soul_

She pounded on her heart during the last few beats of the chorus. 

_The Devil opened up his case and he said, "I'll start this show,"  
And fire flew from his fingertips as he rosined up his bow  
And he pulled the bow across the strings and it made an evil hiss  
And a band of demons joined in, and it sounded somethin' like this._

Julie stretched out an arm and slid to the side of the stage, giving the band a chance to shine. The guitarist slipped into the famous riff that started the Devil’s band section, followed by the keyboardist hitting the deep base notes. Finally, the fiddler joined in with the Devil’s violin solo, screeching it beautifully across the strings. 

As the other instruments wound down, the drummer continued with the rhythmic beat, and Julie flounced back to her spot in front of the microphone, her eyes never leaving Luke’s. 

_When the Devil finished  
Johnny said, "Well, you're pretty good ol' son_

She pointed right. At. Him. 

_But sit down in that chair right there  
And let me show you how it's done!"_

_"Fire on the Mountain", run, boys, run  
The Devil's in the house of the risin' sun_

_Chicken in the bread pan pickin' out dough_

Julie looked at the fiddler and held out her hands, as if… Wait, was she asking for the violin?

_Granny, does your dog bite? No, child, no!”_

The fiddler handed it to her willingly and Julie immediately tucked it under her chin and began sawing away at the strings, playing the most beautiful rendition of Johnny’s winning solo that Luke had ever heard. 

Oh, how he hated it. 

Oh, how the crowd loved it. 

Applause that nearly deafened him (including his own friends and family, the treacherous scum!) vibrated through the room as Julie walked back and forth across the stage, expertly playing the ridiculously fast solo like it was “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.” 

He’d lost. 

He, a Texas rancher born and bred, had lost a country music battle to some city girl who probably hadn’t even seen a live cow until she drove into Texas. 

And that meant he lost his hat. And he really liked that hat! 

Crap. 

Julie finished Johnny’s solo and handed the instrument back to the fiddler before pulling the mic out again and walking back to their table, an easy, self-satisfied smirk plastered to her face. 

She pushed her bottom lip out in a pout as she bent at her waist until she was eye-level with him. 

_The Devil bowed his head because he knew that he'd been beat  
And he laid that golden fiddle on the ground at Johnny's feet._

She held out her hand and batted her fingers back and forth, eyeing his hat. Without shifting his glare from hers, he took it off and placed it in her waiting hand. 

She stood and popped the hat securely over her curly hair.

_Johnny said, "Devil, just come on back if you ever wanna try again!  
I done told you once, you son of a gun  
I'm the best that's ever been" and he played,_

_"Fire on the Mountain", run, boys, run_

Julie skipped back to the stage and jumped back on the stage one last time, joining the band by tapping her feet and clapping her hands. 

_The Devil's in the house of the risin' sun  
The chicken in the bread pan pickin' out dough_

A genuine smile, one full of unbridled joy, lit across Julie’s face as she beckoned to Flynn to join her on stage. The other girl was up and gone without a word. 

_Granny, will your dog bite? No, child, no_

Johnny’s solo played again, and Julie and Flynn stomped, slid, and kicked their feet in a complicated line dance-like jig, perfectly synchronized and both having a blast. 

When the song finally wound down, the girls both gave two stomps with the heel of one boot that matched up with the last two notes. And just like that, Julie, his hat still firmly on her head, handed him his butt on a silver platter, garnished with veggies, mushrooms, and peppermint jelly. 

Carrie squealed when Julie and Flynn came back to the table, wrapping them both in a bone-rattling hug. “Where in the world did you two learn that dance?” 

Julie laughed and cringed. “ _Coyote Ugly_. A thirteen-year-old’s guilty pleasure movie, a twenty-three-year-old’s ‘don’t judge me’ movie.” 

Bobby sidled up and gave them high fives too. Unbelievable. His two favorite cousins, congratulating the enemy! Traitors! 

Julie shot appreciative glances at her new friends, then met Luke’s eyes. “Hey, Luke, honey?” She stepped up to him and sighed in disappointment. “The next time you challenge an ‘L.A. pop princess’ to a country karaoke battle, make sure she didn’t grow up two hours south of Nashville.” 

Nashville. As in Music City. As in Tennessee. 

As in Julie Molina was a straight up Southern girl. 

Luke’s jaw dropped. 

She smiled a sickly sweet smile and put two fingers under his chin, pushing his mouth closed. “Oh, and if you wanted help with Dizzy, all you had to do was ask. I’ll see you bright and early tomorrow morning, boss.” She blew him a kiss and turned toward the door, Flynn in tow. Without looking back, she wiggled her fingers at him. “Thanks again for the hat. See you at home, Cowboy!” Her voice echoed through the room as the door shut behind them. 

Reggie, Bobby, and Carrie all started talking at once, but Luke didn’t hear a word. He was too busy seething. How had that happened? He was Luke Patterson! Sure, he was covered in about seven years of rust, but he should not have been so soundly beaten by some tiny pop star. 

And so help him, he would get those two to stop calling him Cowboy, one way or another. 

One thing was for sure: his feelings toward Julie Molina were undeniable, and they were powerful. 

Whether those feelings leaned more toward “kill Julie Molina” or “kiss Julie Molina” remained to be seen.


	3. Walls

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The aftermath of our Karaoke Kung Fu Fight brings some revelations.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey-o, fellow travelers! 
> 
> Shan't lie to you, this chapter is a smidge angsty, but hey, it had to happen sometime! 
> 
> This may be part 1 of a double update (have to see how my evening goes), so I hope you enjoy what I have for now! 
> 
> Our song snippet at the end is from "Check Yes or No" by George Strait. 
> 
> Let's GO! 
> 
> ~Courty

As soon as the doors closed, Julie sagged against the wall of the bar, sliding down to the ground.

“Jules, what in the _world_ was that?” Flynn breathed, collapsing down next to her. 

“You’re asking the wrong person! I have absolutely no idea where any of that came from.” Julie ran a hand through her messy curls and tried to catch her frantic breath. 

That was unlike anything she’d ever done before. She’d performed shows in America’s most famous venues with a professional band, state of the art special effects, and thousands of fans shrieking her name as she played songs she’d put every part of herself into writing. But singing “The Devil Went Down to Georgia,” a song almost twenty years older than she was, in front of a room of maybe forty people to a man who frustrated her so much that she took his hat from him was the single most exhilarating experience of her life. Every cell in her body buzzed like a hive of bees, and her muscles trembled with enough energy to run a marathon! 

She may not have known where that all came from, but she had absolutely no problem with the results. 

She rolled her head to the side so she could look at Flynn, and they both burst out laughing. 

“Did you see the look on Luke’s face when I told him we were from Tennessee?” Julie gushed as Flynn held her stomach to stave off the ache of her laughter. “I thought he was going to fall over!” 

“And that pout when you took his hat?” Flynn dissolved into a fit of ear-shattering giggles. “He looked like a five-year-old!” 

Julie stomped her feet, just laughing not doing it for her anymore. 

When they finally calmed down, Flynn flicked the brim of Luke’s — nope, _Julie’s_ — hat. “That looks really good on you, girl.” 

Julie sighed and tipped it at her friend. “Why thank ya, ma’am,” she said in an exaggerated Texas accent. 

Flynn laughed again and leaned back against the wall for a moment. “Is it weird that I’m suddenly wiped?” 

If only it was. Every ounce of zinging energy that had blazed through Julie’s body suddenly fizzled out, leaving her feeling drained and strangely empty. Like she’d left something behind in the bar and she had no idea what it was.

“Do you want to go back inside? We haven’t really been here for that long…”

“We should probably head home,” Flynn said, stifling a yawn. 

“What about Luke?” Huh. Worrying about the guy who’d tried to humiliate her only to have her win his hat right off his head in front of all his friends was not what she expected. Yet here she was… Worrying about him. 

Flynn waved her off. “He’s a big boy, he grew up here, and he has his own truck. He’ll be fine getting himself home.” 

Flynn was right. Luke would be okay, and they had a GPS. They could get home on their own. “Okay. Bed is calling and I must answer.” 

“Exactly.” 

The drive home was strangely quiet. Under normal circumstances, they would have spent the entire twenty minutes reliving Julie’s victory, cranking up the music, and singing at the top of their lungs. But Julie spent the entire drive staring out the window, watching the outside shadows shift like snakes. 

“Jules, you okay?” 

Flynn’s voice startled her out of her reverie. “Yeah. Just… Watching.” 

“You sure?” 

No. She couldn’t explain it, but that weird empty feeling just wouldn’t leave her alone. It wasn’t bad, necessarily. Just… Persistent. It was like the hollow shiver of anticipation, only she didn’t know what she was waiting for. 

“Yeah. I’m sure.” 

They didn’t say anything else after that. 

When they finally pulled up to the Pattersons’ house, whatever odd residue the night at Mona’s had left on her had faded. It was like waking up from a dream, but a good one. One you wanted to remember. 

Julie chalked it up to coming off of a post-performance high and left it at that. 

When they got to the door, however, Flynn paused. “Uh oh.” 

“What?” 

“Did Emily or Luke give you a key?” 

Oh, poor Flynn. Growing up on the North Shore of downtown Chattanooga instead of out in one of the surrounding rural communities like Julie hadn't done her friend any favors when it came to country life. She reached out, twisted the knob, and pushed the door open. 

Flynn gaped. “How did you-”

“Flynn, Luke and Emily live on a twelve-hundred acre ranch twenty five miles away from the nearest town. They don’t lock their doors.” 

“Oh.” 

Julie shook her head. “You are _such_ a city girl.” 

“And proud of it!” 

When they walked into the living room, Julie was nearly toppled over by a bundle of speckled fur. 

She laughed and scratched the fluffy dog behind the ears. “You must be Millie!” she giggled, planting a kiss on the sweet girl’s forehead. 

Badger trotted up behind Millie, less enthusiastic but just as welcoming. Julie pressed a kiss to his forehead as well. “Did you have fun with your new friend today?” 

Flynn smiled from the hallway. “I’ll leave you to get to know your dog’s new girlfriend. I’m heading to bed.” 

“Night, Flynny,” Julie called as the other girl closed her bedroom door. 

Annoyed that Julie wasn’t paying her any attention, Millie barked. 

“Shh, Millie, or you’ll wake Emily up.” 

“Emily isn’t asleep, Julie,” Emily said from her bedroom door, smiling as she watched Julie play with their dogs. 

“I’m sorry, Flynn and I didn’t wake you up, did we?” 

Emily shook her head. “Not at all, sweetie. Luke’s the early bird in this family. I definitely thrive at night.” She tilted her head, furrowing her eyebrows. “Is that Luke’s hat?” 

A rush of heat lit Julie’s cheeks on fire. “Um…” 

“It looks good on you. Though I would love to know how you got him to part with it.” 

And, once again, Julie was met with that eternal dilemma: ‘How do you tell your incredibly kind and wonderful host that her son is a bit of a jerk and you had to take him down a peg by destroying him in a sing off?’

“It’s, uh, kind of a weird story.” 

Emily sat on the couch, rested her elbows on her knees, and propped her chin on her closed fists. “I love weird stories.” 

Texas was nice while it lasted. 

“Luke and I got into a bit of a…” She searched for the right word. “...spat over whether or not I knew anything about country music.” 

Emily blinked. “What?” 

“Yeah. We went to Mona’s and got to talking about the music selection there. I mentioned that country would be just as fun as anything and… well, he wound up challenging me to a karaoke battle.” She gestured to the hat. “I won.” 

The mild amusement on Emily’s face melted away to an emotion Julie couldn’t quite name. Whatever it was, she was shaken. “Luke-” She swallowed. “Luke sang?” Tears immediately sprang to her eyes. 

Whoa, Julie did not see that coming. “Yes, ma’am.” 

Emily stood and covered her mouth, walking over to the mantle above the fireplace. She stopped in front of a framed photo in the middle of the mantle and wiped at her eyes, drawing in a shaky breath. Millie followed Emily, nudging at her hand. 

Julie wasn’t sure what she should do. This felt like an immensely private moment, but she couldn’t move. Emily’s breath kept hitching, but Julie couldn’t tell if she was crying or trying to speak. 

“Emily, do you want me to go?” 

The older woman shook her head and took the photo off the mantle. She sat back down on the couch and held it out for Julie to take. 

“Are you sure?” 

Emily nodded. “You’ll be here for a month. Luke will be much more tolerable if you understand why he acts like he does.”

Julie took the frame, careful not to touch the glass. The black and white photo was of a man and a little boy, both holding guitars with their heads thrown back, singing their hearts out. The boy was covered in bandages, one on his knee, one on the back of his hand, and one on his cheek, right under his left eye, but the smile on his face was one of complete and total happiness. The floppy mop of hair was longer now, and often covered by a hat, but unmistakable nonetheless. “This is Luke.” 

“Yes. And his dad, Mitch.” 

It was only the second time anyone had mentioned Mitch Patterson, and from what Julie could tell, she wasn’t going to meet him. But that was not for her to ask about. “He and Luke look so happy.” 

Emily sat down next to Julie and gave a watery laugh. “Luke was eight when I took that. It was the day he finally played ‘Check Yes or No’ all the way through. It was his favorite song when he was a kid, and he’d been practicing it for weeks. His dad was so happy he grabbed his guitar and they played the whole thing all over again together.” She shook her head fondly as she pointed to each of the bandages. “Oh, Luke was such a klutz back then, always tripping over a guitar stand or falling into a water trough. But he never let it bother him. He was as happy-go-lucky as they came.” 

Luke? Happy-go-lucky? Julie couldn’t even begin to imagine that. 

Emily’s features sobered as she traced the outline of Mitch’s face. “Luke’s always had two great loves: music and horses. And his dad taught him everything he knows about both.” She closed her eyes, and from the pained smile on her face, Julie could tell she’d lost herself in a bittersweet memory. “Mitch was that boy’s hero and his biggest fan.” 

Julie placed her hand over Emily’s. If she wanted to tell the rest of the story, then Julie would listen. If not, that was okay too. 

Emily turned her wrist and laced her fingers between Julie’s. “Mitch died seven years ago. Luke kind of stopped being Luke after that. He became cold and mistrustful to anyone he didn't know super well. It was his way of protecting me and himself, I guess. You can't get hurt if you don't get close. He would have done it to his friends too if they'd let him. And he hasn’t sung a note since. Until tonight, anyway.” 

There was nothing to say to that. She could say how sorry she was, but honestly, after everything her family had been through over the last several years, she knew how useless those words were in a situation like this. So instead, she gave the picture back to Emily and squeezed her hand. 

The front door opened, and Luke walked in, looking as tired as Julie felt. Julie hadn’t expected to see him until the next morning, but he’d apparently had enough of Mona’s for one night too. When he noticed them on the couch, his gaze bounced between them, completely open with innocent curiosity. For a moment, Julie could easily see the little boy in the photo. Then his eyes landed on the picture frame Emily clutched to her chest, and anything she thought she saw was instantly closed up behind a wall of betrayal. 

Mother and son regarded each other for a moment. Finally, Luke nodded and headed toward the stairs. 

The silence in the room was almost palpable for a moment. Then Julie asked, “Does Luke normally have breakfast at seven?” 

Emily started. “What? Why?” 

Ah, good, a way to cut the tension. “Luke bet me that if he won I had to be his ranch hand. I agreed to help him anyway.” 

Miraculously, Emily managed a small laugh. “This morning was a bit of a fluke; he had a rough time with a couple of the horses yesterday. He’s usually up before sunrise and gets himself outside around 6:30. ” 

“In the morning?” Ugh… 

Emily patted her knee and stood. “You’d better get yourself to bed. Days around here are a little longer than normal. You’ll need your rest.” She winked and walked to her room. “Good night, Julie,” she said, closing the door. She didn’t put the picture back on the mantle. 

Julie rubbed at her sleepy eyes and stretched. Badger and Millie had curled up together on the couch on the opposite side of the room. 

Well. There less than a day and he’d found himself his very own yellow rose of Texas. 

“Why, Badger, you lucky…" she paused. "...dog.” 

Yeah, it was definitely bedtime. 

As she made her way to her room, she ventured a glance up the stairs. 

So. Luke was hurting. A lot. It wasn’t a good reason for his behavior, but at least he made a little more sense now. Julie could take his attitude without too much offense as long as she knew where it was coming from. 

These next few weeks were definitely going to be interesting. From what she could tell, he’d try to push every button she had in that time in order to keep her at arms’ length. Well, bring it on, Patterson. She was more than capable of pushing right back. 

***

Luke’s stomach was shredded. What had he done? 

“Luke, was that-”

“Yes, Reg, that was Julie Molina.” 

“Better question: _why_ was that Julie Molina?” 

“Her mom and my mom were college roommates, and mom offered to let her stay with us while she’s taking a break.” Man, he was tired. 

“Best question: who was the cutie with her?” 

Why was he friends with this guy again? “Flynn, her manager.” 

Reggie crossed his arms. “And you didn’t tell me two gorgeous women were staying with you before now because…” 

“I didn’t find out they were even coming until Julie nearly knocked me over this morning so she could ruin my bacon.” He could still feel gross, chewy bacon on his tongue.

Reggie and Bobby nodded as if what he said made perfect sense. Carrie, however, was not fooled. 

“Luke, darlin’,” she said, looping her arm through his. “I find it hard to believe your mama would invite an international recording artist into your home for a month and then just forget to tell you.” 

Busted. So busted. “She may have mentioned it a time or two.” 

“But…” 

Sometimes he really hated her. 

“ _But_ I was busy dealing with Dizzy and I may have ignored who exactly she said was coming. I thought it was Nana and Pops.”

Carrie squeezed her eyes shut. “What are we going to do with you?”

Luke pulled his keys from his pocket and stepped away from her. Whatever temporary fugue state he’d just experienced had drained him, and all he wanted now was his pillow. “Send me home.” 

“Oh, come on,” Reggie protested, “I just got here.”

Bobby swatted Luke on the shoulder. “Dude, _you_ just got here.” 

“I know, and I’m sorry. But it’s been a long day.” He pulled Reggie into a hug and then hugged Bobby and Carrie. “I promise I’ll come hang with y’all again soon.” 

Carrie perked up at that. “Bring Julie and Flynn too. It’s nice to have a few more gals around to balance out the testosterone party you boys always throw.” 

He made his way through the crowd, smiling and waving at people who stopped him to tell him what a great job he did. Each compliment turned his stomach, but he tried to be gracious anyway. 

“Later, Luke!” Nick waved at him from behind the bar. 

“See you, Nick.” 

The door barely closed behind him before it was shoved open again. 

“Lukey!” Carrie called, grabbing his wrist to stop him. 

“Carrie, I’m-”

“If you’re going to say ‘fine,’ you can tell it to Reggie and Bobby. They may be about as emotionally mature as a carrot stick, but I know you. You’re not fine.” She placed her hand on the back of his neck and rubbed it with her thumb. “You don’t have to tell me why, but at least be honest with me about that.” 

His eye lids grew heavy. The gentle pressure of Carrie’s fingers on his neck sent him back to the days after his dad died, when the music inside of him died forever, too. Carrie had been there with him the whole time. That was when she’d figured out the ‘back of the neck’ trick. It was the only thing that calmed him down then. 

He didn’t want to lie to her. “Okay, I’m not fine. I feel like a traitor to my dad’s memory, and I can’t believe that happened.”

Carrie pulled him into a hug, and he clutched her to him, desperate for the contact. 

“You’re not betraying Uncle Mitch’s memory, Luke. If anything singing again is honoring everything you two had together. Your dad loved to sing and he loved it when you sang, too.” 

That was true. But Carrie didn’t know the whole story. No one did, and he didn’t think he could ever bring himself to tell them. Besides, it wasn’t their burden to bear. It was his and his alone. 

He looped an arm around Carrie and pressed a kiss to her hair. “Thanks, Carrie, but no amount of the famous Wilson Whimsy can make me feel better right now. But I’ll be okay eventually, I promise.” 

She smiled and ruffled his hair, reminding him that he’d lost his hat in a bet he never should have made. 

“I hope you have another hat at home. Otherwise? I’m coming to your house with shears.” 

He forced himself to laugh and waved as she made her way back inside. 

Just as he pulled onto the highway, his phone rang, and based on the ringtone, he’d cause the caller an ulcer if he didn’t answer it. 

“Hey, Alex. How’s the show going?” 

“Luke Patterson, you freaking _sang_! What possessed you and where can we get more of it?” 

“How did you even-”

“Reggie, video call, saw the whole thing, blah blah blah, not important. You sang! As in speaking words in an extended way that makes them match up to whatever music is playing!” 

Ah, Reggie. Reggie was such a good, trustworthy, faithful snitch face. 

“Alex, you’ve got to chill out, it wasn’t that big a deal.” 

“Says you, nerd. Seriously, though, what happened and are you okay?” 

Oh crap. “Ugh, it’s a long story.” 

“Well, I have exactly seven minutes and thirty six seconds before all my focus has to be on a camera capturing a bunch of skater psychos throwing themselves around in a bowl for three hours. Give me the short version.” 

Reggie was going to be mucking out stalls for a month. 

“Okay, my mom may have invited a prissy pop star and her groupie to stay with us for a month, we may have gone to Mona’s, I may have implied that she didn’t know anything about country music because she was a city girl, I may have challenged her to a karaoke battle when she called me a hick, and she may have actually grown up in Tennessee, musically kicked the ever-loving snot out of me, and won my favorite non-work hat.”

There was silence on the other end of the call for a long moment. “I’m sorry, did you say ‘prissy pop star’ and ‘Tennessee?’ Luke, who is staying at your house?” 

Oh, double crap. He thought back to that morning when he told Julie he’d heard her first album was good. He’d forgotten Alex was the one who told him in the first place. “I don’t want to tell you.” 

“Now you have to.” 

Treat it like a band-aid; just rip. “Julie Molina.” 

Alex’s scream nearly deafened him. “You have to tell me everything!” 

Not tonight he didn’t. “Alex… going… dead zone… talk… bye!” He ended the call with Alex’s frantic yells still echoing through the phone’s speaker. 

By the time he got home, his eyes screamed for sleep. But as soon as he saw his mom and Julie on the couch (and saw the picture his mom was holding), his need for sleep transformed into an exhaustion so bone deep there was no way he was going to sleep now. 

Luke lay on his bed staring at the ceiling when his door opened. 

Emily stood in the doorway, still clutching the picture frame. 

“You told Julie about Dad?” 

His mom sighed and sat on the edge of his bed. “I wasn’t planning on it, Luke, I swear. But when Julie told me you sang tonight, I kind of burst into tears.” She shrugged. “I had to tell her after that.” 

He swallowed. “Yeah.” He saw Emily open her mouth to speak again. “And before you ask, I have no idea what happened. One minute we were all sitting down talking, the next thing I know I’m jumping on stage and _singing_.” He scrubbed a hand over his face. “It doesn’t even feel like it was me anymore. And I still can’t believe I did it.” He glared at the wall. “How could I do that?” 

Emily’s gentle hand rested on his knee. “Luke, I still don’t understand why you stopped singing. And I wish more than anything that I did.” 

“I told you, I just can’t anymore.” 

He’d told that lie so many times. At first it had killed him, and he’d had to duck away to throw up every time he said it. But as the days after his dad’s death melted into years, it got easier and easier to tell. He still felt the stab in his chest, but that he could hide. At least he could stomach it now. 

“Hm,” Emily hummed, narrowing her eyes. “I’m calling shenanigans on that one, honey. Clearly you can.” 

“Yeah, well, it won’t happen again. Music’s done, Mom. You and the ranch are my priority now.” 

She didn’t believe him. He wasn’t sure _he_ believed him, not after tonight. But saying it was better than not saying it. At least, he thought it was. 

Man, he had to stop drinking. 

Wait… 

He didn’t drink. That night, or ever, really.

What happened again? 

“Luke, may I be completely honest with you?” 

He raised his head. “Since when do you ask?” 

“Valid point.” She nudged him to move over and lay down next to him, following his eyes to the ceiling. “For what it’s worth, I have a good feeling about Julie and Flynn being here.” 

“Do you now?” 

“Yeah. They’re fantastic, and I think you need to give them a chance.” A sly smile slipped onto the edge of her lips. “Especially Julie.” 

Luke scrunched his nose. “But Julie’s just so… ugh, _Julie_. And Flynn threatened me with bear spray tonight.” 

Emily laughed. “Reasons number three hundred eighty-seven and three hundred eighty-eight why I like them so much.” She rolled on her side and propped her head on her hand. “They’re not so used to you that they take your crap without a fight.” 

“What happened to me being your son and you being on my side?” 

“Julie rightfully kicked your hiney and won your hat off you. She wins me for now.” Emily swatted his shoulder. “I can’t believe you. I don't care what the reasons were, you don’t challenge a guest in our home to a karaoke battle to settle an argument _you_ started.” 

Luke winced. “She told you about that?” 

“More or less. What did you sing anyway?” 

“‘Me Neither.’ Lucky for me it wasn’t a super hard or long song.” 

“And Julie?” 

Emily was going to be a nightmare after this. The irony of the song wouldn’t be lost on her anymore than it was lost on Luke or Julie. “‘The Devil Went Down to Georgia.’” He shook his head. “Not-so-lucky for me, she pulled a fiddle solo out of nowhere. That’s what did it.” That and the fact that she was just all around amazing. 

Again, not a word he wanted his brain associating with Julie Molina. 

Emily sighed and got up to leave. “You deserved to lose that hat, I hope you know that.” Before she left the room, she turned back for a moment. “I love you, Luke. And I really do hope you don’t mean it when you say you’ll never sing again. It isn’t fair of you to hide that gift from the world.” 

“I love you too, Mom. And thanks.” 

She shot him a small smile. “Oh, and be nice to Julie tomorrow. I know you’ll have to boss her around a little, but try not to enjoy it too much.” She shut the door with a soft click. 

Luke laced his fingers behind his head and continued to look up at the ceiling. “No promises.” 

He rolled over, and that was when he noticed the picture of him and his dad that Emily left on his nightstand. The ache in his heart, ever present but dulled enough that he could ignore it most of the time, floated to the surface. He pulled off the back of the frame and slid the picture away from the glass. 

He put the photo under his pillow, turned off his lamp, and drifted off with a song he’d refused to think about for almost a decade dancing around in his head. 

_Do you love me?  
Do you wanna be my friend?  
And if you do  
Well then don’t be  
Afraid to take me by the hand  
If you want to…_

_I think this is how love goes,  
Check “yes” or “no”._


	4. Optimus Luke

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Julie starts her first day as Luke’s ranch hand. Things ensue.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey-o, fellow travelers! 
> 
> So, my last update was NOT a double update, and for that I apologize. I had a destination, but my journey did not want to cooperate, so here we are. But hey, two updates in two days ain’t bad if I do say so myself! 
> 
> Holla’ at a sista’ if you have questions, comments, or cries of outrage! 
> 
> The “Thomas and Friends” reference hails from an episode of the Thomas and Friends Extraordinary Engines series. 
> 
> Take care of yourselves, loves! 
> 
> ~Courty

_5:45… 5:45… 5:45_

Alarm clocks were the physical manifestation of hate, Julie was sure of it. At least they were this morning, when she was supposed to be on vacation and was instead getting up before dawn to help a crabby rancher tame a horse as ornery as he was. 

But a deal was a deal, and as fuzzy and dream-like as the night before had become, she remembered that part with complete clarity. 

So she rolled out of bed, threw on some jeans and a loose t-shirt, braided her hair into her favorite pigtails, brushed her teeth, and put on her new hat. Now that just left shoes. 

Oh. Shoes. As in she did not expect to be a ranch hand two days into her vacation and, therefore, did not bring proper footwear for… Ranch handing? 

Oi. 

As much as it grossed her out to think of asking him for any kind of advice, she’d have to ask Luke which pair she brought would be the most sensible for the day. 

But first, breakfast. 

She stumbled over something and nearly fell when she opened the door. Splayed in the hallway where she’d kicked them was a pair of boots. Julie picked one up and examined it, not sure what to think. The soft gray leather was stitched with delicate green vines with tiny purple flowers sprinkled through the leaves. The toe was square, and hard as a rock. Steel toe. 

She slid the boot on her foot and marveled at how they a) fit perfectly and b) were probably the most comfortable shoes she’d ever worn. She looked down for the other one and a small slip of paper caught her eye. 

It was a note. 

_Julie, I noticed when we were shopping yesterday that your shoe size is one up from mine. Luke got me these work boots for my birthday last year, and wouldn’t you know it, they’re a size too big. I think you’ll be more comfortable in these than any of your shoes while you’re helping Luke for the next few weeks. Enjoy.  
Emily   
PS- Don’t let my son fool you. He comes across prickly, but underneath that cactus costume is a teddy bear. You’ve got this._

The swelling in Julie’s heart nearly brought her to tears. Emily could not be any sweeter. Like, at all. And Julie needed to find a way to thank her for this, both the boots and the encouragement when it came to her son. 

The gentle clanking of dishes came from the kitchen. Well, speak of the devil. Who came to Tennessee last night and lost his proverbial fiddle. Yeah, it was going to be a fascinating day for sure. 

Luke stood over a pan of eggs when she got to the kitchen, and he turned to her when she cleared her throat. The immediate scowl on his face when he saw his hat sent both a satisfied thrill and a nervous buzz through her stomach. 

“Mornin’, boss,” Julie drawled, shooting him a wink as she stood beside him at the stove. “Are there enough eggs there for me?” 

Luke raised an eyebrow, then pushed a paper carton of brown eggs toward her. “There will be as soon as you cook ‘em,” he said with a wink of his own as he dumped his still slightly shiny helping onto a plate. He pulled three pieces of toast from the toaster and settled against the counter, no doubt to criticize something she did. 

Julie wrinkled her nose and took the pan from him, cracking a few eggs into the measuring cup he’d used and whisking them ‘til they were nice and smooth. She threw some more butter into the still hot pan, then cooked her eggs until they were covered in nice, big brown spots. She swiped a piece of toast off his plate and leaned against the counter next to him to enjoy her breakfast.

Luke shook his head as he chewed on a bite of toast. “Okay, so you like your bacon raw, your eggs burnt, and your toast stolen. Anything else I should add to the list of ‘Reasons Julie is Never Cooking for Everyone?’”

She swallowed (because, unlike him, she was not a mannerless heathen) and nudged him with her elbow. “I also like my boys quiet while I’m eating,” she said, taking a deliberately loud bite of her toast. 

For a moment, Julie couldn’t read the look on Luke’s face. He was definitely annoyed, but there was something else there too. Begrudging admiration, maybe? 

Nah. Julie had read way too many sassy “enemies to friends to lovers” books lately. Generally, when you decided you didn’t like someone, you didn’t like them for good. No sense trying to see her life as some goofy novel. She was already famous, and that was enough of a freaking fairytale for one lifetime, thank you very much. 

She finished her last bite and put her plate in the sink. “So, what’s on the agenda for today?” She glanced outside. Wow. The moon was still up. It was so early. 

Luke put his plate in the sink as well and headed toward the door. He took his other hat off the hook next to the doorframe, and just like that, Irritating Luke morphed into Rancher Luke, and he was all business. 

“First things first, we start the day in the barn.” 

There was a barn?

They walked outside and around the side of the house. Sure enough, there was a large barn about ten yards away. How had she not noticed that? 

Luke pushed open the door and the warm, sweet scent of horses enveloped Julie’s senses. 

Flynn told her she was crazy (what else was new?), but Julie had always loved how horses smelled. The sweet, musty scent reminded her of the summer camp she’d gone to as a kid, where she made friendship bracelets, shot arrows, and rode canoes and horses. She missed that time, when life was simpler and her mom wasn’t sick and she wasn’t a household name. 

Luke nodded for her to follow him inside. The barn had ten stalls, each one blocked off with a half door. Over eight of the doors poked a head waiting for its breakfast. Julie smiled when she saw Dizzy gazing over the furthest stall, eyes focused on nothing but her. 

Luke opened a door off to the side of the barn and motioned for Julie to come in with him. When he turned on the light, piles and piles of hay covered almost every corner of the room, with only a small walkway between the square bales. 

“Okay, Pop Star, here’s your first assignmentn.” Luke stood in front of a pile of thick nets, each one filled with hay. 

Julie crossed her arms. “‘Pop Star?’” 

Luke shrugged as he grabbed a net and pushed out the door past her. “You and Flynn seem determined to keep calling me ‘Cowboy.’ I figure it’s only right I get nicknaming privileges too.” 

Oo, that was, in fact, fair. “Fine.” 

Luke nodded toward the pile of nets. “Each one of those goes into a stall. It doesn’t really matter which one goes to which horse. Just grab one, toss, repeat.” He hefted the net he was carrying up so he had a better grip and walked back out into the barn. 

She grabbed a net (which was much lighter than she thought it would be) and followed him out. 

The morning moved quickly after that. As they fed them, Luke introduced her to Ferus Springs’s permanent residents first, starting with Marmalade, Emily’s buckskin mare, and moving on to Snapdragon, a bay and white paint gelding; Atlas, a massive black Belgian; and Cinnamon, a sweet, blind filly that was bonded to Snapdragon and followed him around all day. 

“And this right here,” he said with a smacking kiss to the final chestnut horse’s nose, “is my best girl, Lily.” He tossed her hay net into her stall, then patted her side as she turned away to eat. 

“What makes her your best girl?” 

Luke smiled, but it was sad. “Lily here was the last foal my dad trained before he died.” He leveled a serious look at her. “Mom told you everything?” 

Julie shook her head. “No details. Just that it happened.” She nodded toward Lily. “She must be pretty special to you, then.” 

Luke nodded. “She is. She’s sweet as honey, but the best stock horse you’ve ever seen. I’ve never seen a horse that has such a way with cows.” 

“Thought you weren’t a cowboy.” 

Luke narrowed his eyes. “My uncle owns the cattle ranch next door to Ferus Springs. He usually hires off-season rodeo cowboys — _actual_ cowboys — for his ranch hands. Sometimes they all have a rodeo at the same time, and he needs a little extra help.” He pushes off the stall door and goes back for the rest of the hay nets. “That doesn’t make me a cowboy.” 

Mmmmhm. Sure, Luke. 

He tossed Julie a hay net and made his way down the other side of the aisle with the other two. “And these are our boarders. You already know Dizzy. Sarge is the blue roan, and Fin is the colt on the end.” 

Julie tossed her net into Fin’s stall and reached out to let him smell her hand before she petted him. 

“Julie don’t-”

Finn sniffed her for a moment, then nipped at her finger. She managed to pull her hand away before he got her skin, but she heard the loud _click_ of his teeth as they snapped together. “Whoa! What’s his problem?” 

Luke walked over and shooed the colt away to eat his food, then took Julie’s fingers in his hand and examined them. “Did he get you?” 

Julie’s heart _didn’t_ flutter as his calloused fingers scraped against her hand as he turned it around, checking for any signs of a bite. 

It didn’t. 

“No,” she finally said, “but not for lack of trying.” 

“Sorry about that, I should have warned you. Fin’s here because he has a pretty serious biting problem and his owner wants me to see if I can figure out why and get him to stop.” 

“So, is ‘Fin’ supposed to allude to this kid being part shark?” Julie asked, sticking her tongue out at the young horse. 

Luke chuckled. “His full name is Finish Line Shine, so I’m thinking it’s just an incredibly appropriate coincidence. 

Julie wrinkled her nose. “‘Finish Line Shine?’”

“He’s a race horse. But yeah, it’s not my favorite either.” 

Wait. Did they just agree on something? Weird. But Julie chose not to comment on it. “So. Think you can do it? Figure out why he’s biting?” 

“I’m getting there.” He didn’t say anything else. 

They spent the rest of the morning sweeping the aisle, turning the horses out, sweeping the aisle, and mucking out the stalls, and sweeping the aisle. Julie had never thought of a broom as the enemy, but that was about to change. 

“Wow. Didn’t think you’d be as unbothered by horse crap as you are,” Luke said when Julie stepped into one stall and immediately heaped a huge pile of manure into the wheelbarrow. 

She smirked. “I went to camp every summer as a kid, and when that was done I’d visit my tia and her husband on their farm in Kentucky. And I’ve had dogs all my life. Poop is just a part of it when animals are involved.” 

The scrape of Luke’s pitchfork stopped, and Julie looked up to see him watching her, that same thoughtful look on his face he had the night before, when he tried to explain her and Flynn to Carrie. “I may have underestimated you.” 

“No, you definitely underestimated me.” She tipped another pile of dirty straw into the wheelbarrow and leaned against her pitchfork. “Impressed yet?” 

Luke rolled his eyes and turned back to the stall he was cleaning. “Just keep working.” 

By the time all the barn work was done, the sun was high in the sky. Julie swiped the back of her hand across her forehead, but it only came back with the barest bit of sweat on it. Huh. She finally understood what people meant when they said, “It’s a dry heat.” Had she done this amount of work in these temperatures back home, the humidity would have had her sweating buckets. But here, it was just… hot. And she didn’t hate it. 

When Julie asked when they’d need to feed the horses again, Luke shook his head. “Not ‘til tonight,” he said, filling the three water troughs in the pasture with a hose. 

She eyed the troughs. “Is that going to be enough food and water for them for the day?” 

Luke pointed out at the expansive grassland in front of them. “That pasture is about twenty acres, plenty of grazing land for ten horses. They’ll eat most of what they need in grass today, and there are plenty of creeks cutting through there for them to have all the water they’ll need. This is honestly just precautionary at this point. We’ll feed them their last bit of food when we bring them in for the night.” Luke checked his watch. “I have a lesson at one this afternoon, so we have about three hours to kill.” 

“Should we work with Dizzy then?” 

“Nah. Dizzy’s here for the foreseeable future, and I ran him pretty hard yesterday. Plus I don’t like to do too much pen work when I have a student coming. It’s amazing how much one lesson can wear you out.” 

Julie was only half listening at that point, her attention snagged by the gorgeous landscape once again. That same formless tune, still more of a feeling than actual notes, danced through the back of her mind as she took in the bright greens of the surrounding hills. “Wow,” she breathed. 

Luke stepped up beside her and nodded. “Yeah. I sometimes forget how beautiful this place is, seeing it every day.” He flicked his gaze to the pasture. “Hey, can you ride?” 

“I could, but it’s been a few years. I’d definitely need a refresher course. Why?” 

“Do you want to see the rest of the property?” 

Unexpected. Julie gave a gentle gasp, as if scandalized. “Why, Mr. Patterson, are you asking me out on a date?” 

He scoffed. “Not in this lifetime, Molina. You’re my employee for the moment; that would be incredibly inappropriate. I’m asking because you should see the place so you can properly describe your stay in the most beautiful spot in the world when you go back to your Us Weekly interviews.” 

“Ah, so this is just you bragging at this point?” 

Luke shrugged (Julie decided she kind of hated how he did that instead of talking), went back into the barn, and grabbed a lead rope. He climbed up on the fence, put his finger and his thumb in his mouth, and gave a shrill, melodic whistle. 

Atlas, the black Belgiun, perked up at the sound and lumbered to the fence. Luke caught the huge horse’s halter, clipped the lead rope to it, and climbed a little further up the fence before pushing himself onto the horse’s bareback. “Come on, Julie. Climb up the fence and hop on.” 

Was he serious? “You have got to be kidding.” 

Luke crossed his arms. “You said you don’t feel comfortable riding yet, and double is easier bareback. Trust me, Atlas is fine.” 

“Are you sure he can hold us both?” 

Luke made a face. “You’re what, like a hundred pounds dripping wet? Atlas here was bred to pull up to eight thousand pounds. I think he can handle the two of us.” He held out a hand. “Now come on. Don’t worry, I’ll help you.” 

Julie did not appreciate his comment on her weight (even if she was a little flattered by how wrong he was), but she had to admit, Atlas’s eighteen-hand height was impressive. She didn’t think she’d ever even seen a horse that big before, let alone ridden one. But something about the gentle way Atlas brushed his lips against Luke’s knee in greeting eased her nerves just enough for her to do as Luke suggested. She climbed up to the top of the fence, grabbed Luke’s outstretched hand, and allowed him to half pull her as she pushed up onto the horse behind him. 

“Hold on to something,” he said, tying the other end of the lead rope to the other side of Atlas’s halter. 

“What exactly am I supposed to grab on to?” There was no saddle, no reins. There was only…

The grin in Luke’s hazel eyes boiled her blood. “Whatever you can find.” 

She glared at him, but refused to let him fluster her as she wrapped her arms around his waist. 

Luke held up the lead rope as if it was a pair of reins, then glanced back at her. “Oh, and Julie? It ain’t bragging if it’s true.” Then he clicked his tongue and Atlas was off. 

“How are you controlling him without a bridle?” 

“Chill, Molina,” Luke snorted. “Atlas spent ten years as a trick riding horse in a traveling wild west show. He responds to verbal cues just as well as nonverbal from a bridle and reins.” 

“Wow. Cool. So if I were to tell him, ‘Giddy up-’”

The horse shot forward in a canter. If she hadn’t had such a good hold on Luke she would have flown off the back. She squeezed his waist as tightly as she could to make sure that didn’t happen later. 

Luke tugged the lead rope/reins and shouted, “Whoa, boy, whoa!” 

With a toss of his head, Atlas came to a stop, dancing around as if annoyed that Luke had stopped him. 

Luke twisted around and glared at Julie. 

She winced and loosened her hold on him. “Sorry.” 

“Please let me talk to the horses from now on.” 

No problem there.

They rode for about ten minutes in silence until they reached the end of that part of the fence. It kept going, disappearing into a thick patch of trees, but another line of fencing ran perpendicular to the line they were currently next to, forcing them to turn right. 

Luke followed the new fence line until they reached a gate, which he leaned over and opened in one smooth move. Atlas barely had to break his stride before they were pushing through and letting the gate slam closed behind them. 

They rode up a small rise until they came to a stop at the top of the hill. 

“Whoa, boy,” Luke said, pausing next to a stream to let Atlas have a drink and pull at some grass. 

Julie barely noticed. As beautiful as the surrounding landscape was from the ranch house, that view couldn’t touch what it was like to actually be in the thick of it. Lush valleys full of trees, glades, and varying bodies of water stretched as far as the eye could see. 

A melody, much more solid than before, ran through her mind. It wasn’t much of anything, possibly just the ending notes of a chorus or the bridge, but it was something. She ran through it again and again as she took in the full sight of Ferus Springs, desperate not to forget it. 

“You’ve been awfully quiet.” 

She couldn’t tear her eyes away from the beauty surrounding them. “Shh. I’m composing.” 

They rode on, passing by more streams, meadows, and even a waterfall. Luke explained that the land was full of natural springs, which were responsible for all the headwaters on the ranch, and simply teaming with all kinds of wildlife. They saw several species of deer, a few antelope, even a feral hog or two. 

Julie closed her eyes for a moment, allowing the sounds of running water and buzzing insects weave their way into her melody. She probably wouldn’t use those sounds exactly, but she wanted to make sure that the music she did use conveyed the same wild feeling. 

Wild. That was a word… 

“I should thank you, by the way,” Luke said, cutting through the noisy quiet. 

Okay, that was odd. “For what, exactly?” 

She felt more than heard the deep breath he took. “For staying uppity with me. And for not saying you’re sorry. You’re probably the first person I’ve ever met who learned about my dad and didn’t immediately start treating me like I’m made of glass.” He cleared his throat, but kept his eyes forward. “After it happened, I went from being Luke Patterson, the kid with the horses to Luke Patterson, the kid with the dead dad, you know?” He flicked a glance back at her. “But I guess you don’t, do you?” 

She stared at the back of his hat for a moment, unsure how to respond. They’d only known each other for a day and a half, but in that time, Julie thought she’d come to know what to expect from Luke: pure disdain, indifference, flippance. Sure, she understood the source of that attitude a little better now, so she was able to give it back in good fun. But she had no idea how to deal with a sincere Luke who was thanking her _for_ giving as good as she got. 

Was this what Emily meant when she said Luke was really a teddy bear? 

Maybe the best course would just be to tell the truth. 

“I may not know what it’s like to be the kid with the dead dad, but I do know what it’s like to be the girl with the dying mom.” 

Luke stiffened, but kept Atlas moving. 

May as well. “My mom was diagnosed with end stage kidney failure when I was sixteen. We weren’t sure how long she had for a while, and everyone at school knew about it.” She swallowed. Normally the memories didn’t bother her too much, but every once in a while they stung. “She managed to hold on for three years with dialysis and a bunch of really expensive medications that acted like her renal system for her, but it was hard. My mom had always been a bright, vibrant force of nature, and dialysis three times a week really wore her down. 

“I got so much sympathy at school it started to make me sick. And then, when I heard people saying I kept getting good roles and solos in our plays and shows because my mom was dying…” She shook her head, erasing the memories of those spiteful words. “Anyway. She had a transplant four years ago, and it’s been going well. But yeah, I get how useless ‘I’m sorry’ can be after a while. And I always hated feeling like no one would ever treat me like me again.” She gave his torso a quick, gentle squeeze. “So no worries. Sarcasm and sniping? We’ll call it our thing, Cowboy.” 

Luke’s muscles relaxed. “Sounds good, Pop Star.”

The nicknames were an unspoken agreement between them: this moment stayed here, with the trees, the insects, and whatever other secrets the valleys guarded.

***

By the time they got back to the house, Julie was starving. Luke helped her down from Atlas’s back and sent the horse back out into the pasture to continue grazing in peace. 

“So, what did you think?” Luke asked, voice aloof, as if he didn’t actually care what she thought. Which he probably didn’t.

“This place is incredible. I’ve never seen anything like it before.” 

He didn’t seem to know what to say to her when he wasn’t being snarky or bossy or completely sincere. Good. 

Emily and Flynn were in the kitchen chatting over chicken salad sandwiches, both laughing at something Flynn said. 

“Oh, be still my heart! Is there enough for us?” Julie asked, mouth practically watering at her favorite lunch as she plopped down in a chair.

Flynn pushed the huge tub of chicken salad toward Julie along with a plate. Luke sat next to his mom and pulled a plate to himself. 

“So,” Emily asked, glancing between Luke and Julie, “how was your morning? Haven’t seen either of you all day.” 

“It was great,” Julie said, hoping she didn’t sound as gushy as she felt. Working with horses and riding through Ferus Springs had awakened a part of her she had almost forgotten existed, one less focused on how her hair looked and how many streams her new album was getting on Spotify and more focused on getting messy and really being present with the world around her. “Flynn, I’m so sorry for ditching you.” 

Flynn shot Julie her signature “you must be joking” face. “Are you kidding? I slept until ten and Emily and I went to town and picked up lunch. I didn’t have to call anyone, text anyone, drive anyone anywhere, or put out any fires. This has been a dream day for me so far.” 

“That’s great, but do you want to join Luke and me for the rest of the day? We still have a few things to do around here.” 

Again with the “you must be joking” smirk. “Julie, how long have you been my friend? When have I ever expressed even the slightest interest in the whole ‘outdoorsy’ thing?” 

Exactly twice. And both times were incredibly misguided and unwise attempts to get a boy to like her. “Point taken. But you and I aren’t going to get to spend a whole lot of time together if you don’t join us at least every once in a while.” 

“Well, Luke doesn’t have to take up all your time, Julie,” Emily said, taking a sip of lemonade. “He’s done his chores on his own for a long time.” 

“Yeah, you don’t have to help me every day,” Luke echoed around a mouthful of sandwich. 

Of course she didn’t have to help him every day. And as much as she loved shopping and such with Flynn, Julie found that, with every passing moment that morning, she felt more and more like the girl she was before she became Julie Molina, international superstar. She finally started to remember when she was just Jules, an artsy tomboy with chipped fingernail polish, suns and stars painted all over her jeans, doodles on her shoes, and songs flowing from her pen so often that her mom and dad had to buy her a new notebook almost every week. And she wanted to do more than just remember; she wanted to find that girl again, bring some of that silliness and fun back to who she was. 

A few more notes raced through her mind. They were different than the ones before, but when she ran them together, they locked together like puzzle pieces.

Flynn’s hand covered hers. “Jules.” 

Julie met Flynn’s bright, understanding smile. “Yeah?” 

“We are together twenty-four/seven at home. We’re always running around, worrying and stressing about the next thing we have to get done by the next deadline. And I think we’ve both lost a little bit of who we used to be.”

Was Flynn a freaking mind reader or what?

“On that note,” Flynn continued, “I’ve actually got some news myself. You remember Katriesa, the woman who owned that boutique Emily took us to? The one where she designs some of the pieces she sells?” 

Julie nodded. 

“When we went to get lunch, we stopped by to visit her, and she offered to let me hang out with her while we’re here and help with some of the designing process.” 

“Seriously?” Julie threw her arms around her friend. Flynn was a fabulous manager, but she’d made a lot of sacrifices to help Julie realize her dream. Her first love was fashion, and Julie would never begrudge her a chance to get back to that for a little while. “That’s amazing, Flynny!” 

Flynn laughed and let her go. “One caveat: I’m going to need to borrow your car. Like, a lot.” 

Julie glanced at Luke. He held her eyes for a long moment, then swallowed his bite of sandwich. “Yeah, we can share my truck.” 

Flynn’s eyebrows flew up. “For real? Thanks, Cowboy.” 

He pointed his last bit of sandwich at her. “One condition: no more ‘Cowboy.’” 

“Luke, come on,” Emily said. 

“No, no, it’s fine. If I can help my girl out by calling Señor Snarky Pants by his proper name, then no big.” 

The fierce glower Luke leveled at Flynn for the new nickname was abruptly interrupted by a honking car horn. 

Luke checked his watch. “Aw, crap, he’s early.” He shoved the rest of his sandwich in his mouth and ran out the door. “Julie, stall them!” 

Oh, any other boone and she would grant it. But small talk with strangers was not Julie’s cup of tea. She turned to Emily and Flynn, begging for help. 

Emily giggled and stood. “Come on, it’s just Reggie and one of his students. No need to panic.” She paused before opening the door. “You did meet Reggie last night, right?” 

Julie and Flynn shook their heads. He must have shown up after they left. 

“Oh. Well, you’re in for at treat, that’s for sure.” Something in Emily’s voice told Julie that ‘treat’ was going to be more like black licorice than sour jelly beans. 

Before they reached the car, Julie tapped Emily’s shoulder. The tune in the back of her mind continued to niggle at her. “Emily, do you have somewhere I can set up my keyboard that won’t disturb anyone? I have a baby song in my head and I need somewhere to work on it.” 

Emily nodded across the driveway. Julie followed her line of sight and saw another, smaller barn nestled between a couple of enormous oak trees. How many barns did this place have? “There’s a loft space in there, and we don’t keep any animals in that barn since we built the big one behind the house. It’s still wired, and all the electricity works, so you can plug in up there.” 

“Thanks.” 

A sleek black Ford Fusion sat out in the driveway, and two people stood at the front, watching as Luke led Snapdragon into the round pen. 

The older of the two, a guy around Julie and Flynn’s age with thick dark hair, turned at the sound of the front door opening and an excited smile plastered itself to his face. “Emily!” he called, waving. 

Oh. That was the guy from Mona’s, the one who’d gawked when he walked in and saw Luke singing. Knowing what she knew now, Julie understood his reaction a little better. 

“Reggie, hi!” Emily pulled the tall man into a fierce hug. She looked down at the shorter boy next to Reggie and waved to him. “How are you today, Spencer?” 

“A little further along the line, Thomas noticed that one of Farmer McCall’s fences was broken. Oh dear!” Spencer said in a spectacular British accent, looking down at the ground and drumming on his rounded belly. 

Reggie put a hand on Spencer’s shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. “Spencer, use your words, not Thomas’s. Mrs. Patterson asked you how you’re doing. What should you say?” 

The boy scratched his freckled nose for a moment, thinking. “Oh, I’m fine, thank you.” 

There was an odd lilt in the boy’s voice, as if he was saying lines he’d rehearsed before instead of words he came up with organically to fit the situation. 

Reggie tilted his head. “And…” 

Spencer turned to Emily, eyes still turned away. “How are you today?” 

“I’m doing well. Would you like to meet my new friends?” 

“Okay.” 

Emily motioned for Julie and Flynn to come stand with her. “Spencer, these are my new friends. This is Julie-” she pointed to Julie “-and Flynn.” 

Julie smiled and moved to try to catch Spencer’s eye. “Hi, Spencer. It’s nice to meet you.” 

Spencer gasped. “Be careful Thomas,” he said in a much higher voice, “there could be a runaway animal on the track.” 

“Spencer,” Reggie corrected in a kind but firm voice, “your words.” 

The boy drummed on his belly again, then turned to Julie, still not meeting her eyes. “Oh, hello,” he said with a little wave. 

Emily smiled and patted Spencer on the shoulder. “I’d better head back inside, but it was nice to see you, Spencer.” 

“Oh, nice to see you too.” He waved at Emily again as she made her way back into the house. 

Luke ran up and skidded to a stop right before he collided with Reggie. “Spencer, what’s up, man?” he asked, slapping the boy a low five. 

“Oh, hi, Luke. How are you today?” 

“I’m good, bro, thanks for asking. You ready to ride? Snapdragon’s waiting for you!” 

“Well, okay. I’ll try.” 

Luke waved off that answer. “Come on, buddy, you can do more than try.” 

Spencer looked at the paint horse, unsure. “That’s not Lily.” 

Luke’s features tightened for a moment, but he quickly covered it with a smile. “Lily’s not feeling too great today, but that’s her good buddy Snapdragon. You’re experienced enough now to ride him, no sweat.” 

“Well, okay. I’ll try.” 

What was wrong with Lily? Luke hadn’t seemed too worried about her earlier. What could have changed in just a few hours?

“‘Atta boy.” He turned to Reggie and clapped their hands together in a short handshake. “What’s the script today?” 

“Thomas and Friends, the episode where Percy is afraid on Thomas’s branch line.” 

Luke nodded. “Got it. Haven’t done that one in a while.” 

Julie glanced at Flynn, but her friend was just as lost. This entire conversation had been in English, but neither of them had a clue what was happening. 

Luke plopped a helmet on Spencer’s head and snapped it closed before leading him to the ring. He had Spencer hold his hand out to Snapdragon, then rub his nose after the horse had a sniff. 

“I’m Reggie, by the way,” a voice said right next to Julie’s ear. 

She jumped and whipped around, the back of her hand connecting with Reggie’s shoulder.

“Dude, wear a bell!” Flynn snapped, clasping at her chest. 

Reggie stepped back, hands up. “Sorry! Didn’t mean to scare you.” 

“No worries, just give us a little warning next time,” Julie said, patting Reggie on the shoulder. “And hi back. I’m Julie, and this is-”

“Flynn, I know.” Reggie aimed a smile at Flynn and held out a hand. 

To her credit, Flynn didn’t seem _totally_ wigged out by the fact that Reggie already knew her name. “Have we met?” she asked, shaking his hand. 

“Not officially. I was at the table when Julie and Luke had their little song standoff last night.” He still hadn’t let go of her hand. 

But then, Flynn hadn’t let go of his either. 

“Oh, right, I think I remember seeing you. Sorry we didn’t stick around, we were both pretty wiped after a full day of shopping with Emily.” Flynn looked down at where their hands still bobbed up and down. “Um, can I get that back some time today?” 

The blush that crept into Reggie’s cheeks and the abrupt way he dropped her hand nearly had Julie on the ground laughing. But she managed to keep her cool like the poised, mature, professional she was (with the help of Flynn’s foot stomping on hers). 

Reggie cleared his throat and thumbed behind him. “This is-” He turned around and rolled his eyes. “Oh, for the love of-” 

He wrenched the passenger door open and reached in, wrestling with the blond guy in the front seat before leaning back out, Blondie’s phone in hand. “Alex, you can keep texting-” he checked the phone. “-Murder Skater later. Right now we have actual people to make friends with, okay buddy?” 

The other guy turned and met Julie’s eyes and instantly jumped out of the car, a grin growing on his face. “You’re Julie Molina!” He held out his hand. “Alex Mercer, it’s so nice to meet you.” 

Flynn giggled. “Oh look, another fan!” 

Julie kicked her friend’s ankle and shook Alex’s hand. “Hi, Alex, nice to meet you. You can just call me Julie, though.” 

Alex relaxed a bit. “Julie. Okay.”

“So, did we miss you too when we left Mona’s last night?” 

“Nope, no Mona’s for me. There was a skateboarding stunt show in town last night, and I’m the senior visual technician for a company called Blue Fox Productions, so I had to work.” 

Flynn hummed, clearly impressed. “Senior visual technician, huh? Sounds prestigious.” 

Reggie snickered and leaned close to Flynn’s ear. “That just means he’s the camera guy that got hired three weeks before the others.” 

Alex shot Reggie a dirty look, then turned to Flynn. “Ah, you must be Flynn.” 

This time, Flynn didn’t keep her cool quite as well. “Um-”

“Hey, let’s see what Luke and Spencer are up to!” Reggie looped his arm around Alex’s neck and practically dragged him to the side of the ring. Ask Julie, and it looked more like a headlock than a friendly side hug. The two climbed up high enough to rest their arms on the top beam and watch Luke and Spencer walk around the ring. 

Julie and Flynn followed, hopping up on the side of the ring with Reggie and Alex. Julie opened her mouth to say something, but whatever thought she’d had died on her lips as she listened to the conversation Luke and Spencer were having. 

“A little further along the line, Thomas noticed that one of Farmer McCall’s fences was broken. Oh dear!” Spencer said, once again British. 

“Be careful Thomas,” Luke answered, in that same high voice Spencer had used before, “there could be a runaway animal on the track.”

Spencer grinned as Luke led him around the ring. “Thomas didn’t see any animals on the tracks, but he did see Trevor the Traction Engine working in a field.” Spencer gave two high whistles, sounding just like a train. 

An answering whistle, this one a little lower, came from Luke. “Hello, Thomas!” he said in a deeper voice than the one he’d used earlier. 

“Hello, Trevor! There’s a broken fence by the track back there.” 

“Oh, is there? I’ll tell Farmer McCall. He’ll want to get that fixed before an animal escapes!” 

Julie turned to Reggie, unsure where to begin with her questions. 

Reggie shot her a half smile that said he knew exactly what was on her mind. “Spencer has autism. He’s twelve, he’s obsessed with trains, Thomas the Tank Engine, and Spongebob, and he’s been coming here for horseback riding lessons for the past three years.” 

Flynn’s eyes widened. “Is that safe for him?” 

Reggie grinned. “Horses calm kids on the spectrum and help them build the emotional attachments they have a harder time forming with people. The hope is that they can form a bridge in their minds from animals to people. I suggested it to his mom when she was having a hard time with his behavior at home.” 

Flynn nodded. “Is he related to you somehow?” 

Reggie shook his head. “No, I’m a teaching assistant in a special needs program at Bribona Middle School. Spencer’s one of my students. We’re on Fall Break this week, so Spencer’s mom wanted him to have his lesson earlier in the day so she could run a few errands.” He nodded toward the three in the center of the ring. “That thing Spencer’s doing is called scripting; he recites lines from his favorite tv shows as a way to communicate. He and Luke have a deal: Luke leads him around the ring and runs through his current script with him three times, then Spencer does his best to use his own words for the rest of the lesson.” 

Alex grinned at his friend from Reggie’s other side. “Luke doesn’t stop there, either. Most equine therapy programs can cost up to five grand a year, but Luke does it for free.” 

“Who would’ve thought?” Flynn mused, shaking her head. “Cranky Luke has a soft spot for kids.” 

Reggie nodded. “Yeah, the guy’s like a Transformer. More than meets the eye.”

It took a minute or two for Julie to realize her jaw was hanging open as she watched Luke and Spencer. They’d gone through all three of Spencer’s scripting rounds, and Luke was currently letting the boy control where the horse walked, giving him gentle instructions as Spencer used the reins and his legs to guide Snapdragon in a small but clear circle. 

Both of them had big, bright smiles on their faces, Spencer having the time of his life and Luke radiating with pride at the boy’s success. 

So. Tinman had a heart after all. 

Flynn nudged her jaw up, then turned to Alex and Reggie. “So, tell us, since we’re learning so many new things about our not-so-gracious host, how are you two connected to him?” 

Reggie perked up at that. “The three of us and Bobby used to be in a band together.” 

Alex laughed. “Oh man, Sunset Curve,” he said with a fond chuckle. 

Reggie winked. “Tell your friends!” 

“What?” 

Julie didn’t realize the yelp had come from her until Flynn, Alex, and Reggie were all staring at her, shocked. She glanced out to see if she’d bothered Snapdragon, Spencer, or Luke, but they weren’t paying her even a little bit of attention. She cleared her throat and lowered her voice. “ _You_ guys were Sunset Curve?” 

Alex pushed Reggie back a bit so he could see Julie better. “You’ve heard of us?” 

“You’ve heard of them?” Flynn asked at the same time. 

“Yeah, y’all are, like, an underground rock music urban legend.” She turned to Flynn. “It’s a Mandela effect kind of thing; tons of people remember there being this band called Sunset Curve on the rise years ago, but when you Google them, nothing.” She looked back at Reggie and Alex. “You guys just vanished like ghosts. There one day with tons of Youtube hits, gone the next. What happened? Man, the last time I heard anything about you was, I don’t know, junior or senior year of…” 

Oh. 

“High school,” she finished weakly. “About seven years ago.” 

Reggie furrowed his eyebrows. “You know?” 

“Emily told me last night, after I told her about the karaoke thing.” 

“Told you what?” Flynn pushed at Julie’s shoulder to get her attention. 

Uh oh. Julie looked to Alex and Reggie for help. That really wasn’t her story to tell. 

They shared a heavy look for a moment, then Reggie leaned over so he could speak to her as softly as possible. “Luke’s dad died seven years ago. He doesn’t like to talk about it, so please don’t bring it up, but you should know if you’re going to be staying here.” He sighed.

Alex nodded. “After it happened, Luke just couldn’t handle the band and the ranch anymore, so he chose to keep the ranch running. We kept getting comments asking when we’d be coming out with new stuff on Youtube, and it just hurt too much. So we took everything down and Sunset Curve became nothing more than a memory.” 

“Dang.” Flynn turned away, lost in her own thoughts. But after a moment she schooled her face back into the mask of indifference she was known for. 

Flynn was really not good with feelings.

Julie looked back at Luke, reeling and trying with everything in her to remember the Sunset Curve videos she’d watched in high school. As amazing as it was, she could see it. Alex wailed on the drums in his pink hoodie and snapback, Reggie rocked the bass in a red flannel or leather jacket, and Bobby was most definitely the scrawny guy who held his guitar in the air to hit certain high notes.

And Luke. Luke, front and center with his cutoff band tees, vans, and the occasional beanie; Luke, jumping around on stage, slinging his electric blue guitar over his shoulder, shaking his head as he sang about facing life head on because it was now or never; Luke, happy, open, and totally free. 

She refocused on present Luke, who had helped Spencer off of Snapdragon’s back and was currently engaged in some weird, complicated secret handshake with the boy. She no longer had any idea what to think about this guy. Just when she thought she had a little bit of him figured out, he’d surprise her. 

And it hadn’t even been a whole two days! 

Luke looked up from his handshake with Spencer and met her eyes, a smirk curling his lip, as if to say, “How do you like me now?” 

She honestly didn’t know how to answer that question. But she was suddenly very eager to figure it out. 

Reggie was right, the guy was a Transformer. _Definitely_ more than met the eye.


	5. One Thousand One, One Thousand Two, One Thousand Three...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Luke panics, things ensue, and our intrepid heroes have to say good bye to a new but beloved friend. For now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, hello! 
> 
> Sorry for the wait, friends. I planned on knocking a huge chunk of this out on Valentine’s day (thank you, lack of boyfriend!), but then my dog decided that was the perfect day to play a rousing game of “Three Hour Tag” in the neighborhoods surrounding my apartment. As I’m from the “if you see me running, you’d better start running too because something is chasing me” fitness program, my body was NOT up to chasing his stupid butt all over creation (he is currently safe and sound!). I was HURTING! So, I took a few more naps. 
> 
> Shan’t lie, I’m not super wild about this chapter, but it was NEEDED to set up some important scenes and plot points in the future. So, here we are. I did try to give you some mild Juke fluff to make up for it, so hope that helps! 
> 
> Also... We meet someone I’m sure EVERYONE is going to be sick of by the end of this story. 
> 
> Seat belts on, and keep your hands and feet inside the vehicle at all times! 
> 
> Thanks for reading!
> 
> ~Courty

The second Julie said she’d be his ranch hand, Luke had planned for exactly two things: 

1) Have her help him with Dizzy.  
2) Work her to the bone for a day (while being as kind as possible because his mama said so) and show her that, Tennessee native or not, she was a city girl who didn’t have a prayer of keeping up with him.

He hadn’t anticipated that she would actually be capable of doing all the work he gave her (and more), or that she would actually like doing it. 

He really hadn’t anticipated inviting her on a ride through the ranch’s secret, hidden places, places only Pattersons knew about. 

He really, really hadn’t anticipated telling her more about his dad’s death _or_ her telling him about her own journey with her mom. 

And he really, really, _really_ hadn’t anticipated — _gulp_ — enjoying every single second of the day. 

Yet here he was, at the dinner table, feeling like his stomach was about to fly away, concentration laser focused on his mom’s fried catfish so that his gaze wouldn’t dart up to Julie. For the thousandth time. In the last ten minutes. 

Ever since their ride through the property, Luke hadn’t felt quite as combative when it came to Julie. At least, that’s what he told himself. Because it most adamantly didn’t start the moment she told him that shoveling crap didn’t bother her because she’d spent her entire life around animals. And it for sure wasn’t the moment Fin almost took her finger off and she took it in stride. Or when he examined her hand and was immediately floored by how perfectly it fit in his. Nope, definitely not any of those moments. 

Because that would mean he invited her on that ride for reasons other than just showing off his property. And he sure didn’t do that. 

“Luke?” 

He started so violently his fork clattered to his plate. When he looked up again, his eyes automatically found Julie (one thousand), who sat next to Flynn staring at him like he had a “Caution: Live Bomb” sticker across his forehead. 

Crap. 

He turned to his mom. Looking at his mom was safe. “Sorry, what did you say?” 

Emily leveled a knowing look at him, and he wanted to die. So much for ‘safe.’ “Something on your mind, son?” 

She was such a smart aleck. “Nothing important. Just zoned out for a second.” 

She didn’t believe him. At all. But, because she was, at the end of the day, an amazing mom who didn’t want to _totally_ humiliate him in front of their guests, she let it go. “I asked how Spencer’s lesson went today.” 

Spencer. He could talk about Spencer. Spencer was the safest topic out there. “It was great. He’s gotten much better at telling me what he wants to do without scripting, and his riding’s really improved. I’m thinking we can try trotting in a couple of weeks.” 

Emily nodded. “And how are things with his mom?” 

“Reggie said she’s noticed a real improvement at home. He’ll let her hug him, and when they have to communicate directions or correct behavior, he questions them for a moment, but ultimately does what he’s asked to do without throwing a fit.” 

“Spencer threw fits?” 

Double crap. His eyes flicked to Julie (one thousand one). “Yeah. He’s calmed down a lot since he first started coming. The tantrums are kind of why he’s here.” 

Julie pursed her lips. “So, you rehabilitate horses and kids? Wow. Is there anything you don’t do, Patterson?” 

And there was his opening to move past whatever weirdness was going on in his head. He needed to get back to something solid and familiar. Something he could control. And chores ticked off both those boxes. “Yeah. Stay up late.” He took his last bite of dinner and dropped his plate in the sink. “Let’s go finish up for the day. I’m sure you’re ready to crash.” 

Julie yawned and rubbed her eye. “You would be correct.” 

Flynn couldn’t stop herself from laughing. “Jules, I have never known you to go to bed before midnight.” She turned to Luke. “Please, try not to kill her before this month is over.” 

Before Luke could answer, Julie snorted as she put her plate in the sink. “Oh come on, Flynn. You know me better than that.” Julie put a hand on her hip and tossed her head, a challenge in her brown eyes. “I can take anything this cowboy can throw at me.” 

Ah, there was the pop star. He knew how to handle this Julie. “You say that now, but tomorrow the real work starts.” 

Julie took his — her — hat off the hook and put it on her head. Then she grabbed his and jammed it on his head so hard it almost covered his eyes. “Bring it.” She turned to Emily and grinned. “Emily, thank you so much for dinner, it was delicious. Want me to stick around and help with the dishes before I head out?” 

Flynn waved her away. “Go play with your horses, Jules. I’ll help Emily.” 

“You sure?” 

“Go!” Emily and Flynn said together. 

Julie reached for the doorknob at the same time he did. Their fingers brushed, and Luke pulled his hand away way more quickly than he meant to. She met his gaze with a heavy stare for a moment. But only a moment. She lit up with a smile that dripped mischief, stuck the tip of her tongue out at him, and pulled the door open, leaving him to follow her outside. 

“A’ight boss, what’s on the agenda for tonight?” Julie asked, lacing her fingers behind her head and falling into step next to him. 

“We get the horses into the barn for their evening feeding and bed.” He pushed open the gate to the pasture and stepped in. 

“All righty.” She eyed the pasture, unsure. “And how exactly do we do that?” 

Luke smiled, then put his fingers to his lips and whistled. Snapdragon trotted over the hill, Cinnamon hopping along behind him, right up to the open gate. Luke pulled the lead rope he’d used to guide Atlas earlier that day from the post he’d looped it around and hooked it to Snapdragon’s halter. “Mind grabbing Cinnamon and leading her to her stall? She’ll follow Snapdragon, but it’ll be easier to get her to bed without her running into anything if someone leads her.” 

Julie nodded, then approached the blind filly. She placed a gentle hand on Cinnamon’s rump, then slid it along her side until her fingers brushed the horse’s cheek and finally traced down to her nose, allowing Cinnamon a long, slow sniff. 

“Hi, sweet girl. Remember me? We met this morning.” 

Cinnamon blew a few times against Julie’s hand, then followed without a fuss when Julie clicked her tongue and gave her halter a gentle tug. 

“Yeah, we’re friends, right?” Julie tickled Cinnamon under her chin as they followed Luke and Snapdragon into the barn. 

As Luke slid Snapdragon’s halter off and tossed him his night time hay net, he snuck a look at Julie (one thousand two) as she did the same for Cinnamon. It honestly surprised him how quickly she’d taken to Cinnamon and how easily she’d adapted to the filly’s needs. Most people forgot to let a horse know they were behind them when the horse could see, yet Julie knew after a day that she had to be gentle and quiet when it came to the ranch’s youngest member. 

“Something wrong, Luke?” 

He blinked. Dang it, he had to keep his head in the present or he was going to get himself in trouble. Big trouble. “No, just making sure you were settling her in properly.” 

“Verdict?” 

“Passable. You know, for a pop star.” Man, even he could hear how little bite was left in his insults. 

She smiled at Cinnamon, then turned back to him, leaning on the filly’s stall door. “So, I have a question.” 

“I have an answer.” 

“Have you trained all your horses to answer to different whistles?”

She was observant, he’d give her that. Must be the musician in her. “I have. Well, our permanent residents, anyway.” He patted Snapdragon on the back. “This guy and Cinnamon answer to the opening bars of-” 

“Wait, don’t tell me.” She closed her eyes and bobbed her head ever so gently as she replayed the tune in her head. “Is it ‘We’re Following the Leader’ from Peter Pan?” 

Impressive. “Excellent work, Miss Molina.” 

She bit her lip with a grin and took his hand in hers, dragging him back out to the pasture gate. “Okay, call another one. I’ll close my eyes and see if I can guess the song and which horse it’s for.” She shot him that same mischievous smile. “How about another little wager. I get these right, I get to take off for a few hours after we’re done with the feeding and mucking one morning this week.” 

“Hey, as long as you’re not taking any more of my clothes off me-” He stopped. 

He’d actually said that. 

Those words had come out of his mouth. 

And, of all the people on the freaking planet, it had to be to Julie “Pop Star” Molina!

“I mean-”

Julie held up a hand. “Luke, my daddy always says you can’t dig your way out of a hole. It’s okay, I know what you meant.” 

Thank goodness for small favors. “Okay. Good." Moving on. "As long as it's any morning but tomorrow, that should be fine. Tomorrow, we work with Dizzy.” 

“Deal.” She held out her hand, and he shook it. 

Luke turned back to the pasture and held his finger and thumb to his lips. “All right, eyes closed.” 

Julie covered her eyes with her hands, and he gave his next series of whistled notes. Immediately, the horse it belonged to trotted up to the gate and pushed its nose against Julie’s shoulder. 

“‘Amazing Grace.’ And that sounds like it should be for…” She thought for a moment. “Marmalade.” 

“Two for two.” Luke grinned as Julie uncovered her eyes and rubbed Marmalade between her eyes, clipping the lead rope to her halter and leading her to the barn. 

When Julie got back, she covered her eyes again, and Luke whistled a third series of notes. 

Julie laughed. “Well, that’s not too hard. ‘Lily Belle’ is a little on the nose, don’t you think?” 

Lily made her way to the gate, her walk a bit slower than normal. Luke caught her halter and pressed a kiss to her cheek. “There’s my girl,” he whispered, then he turned back to Julie. “I’m surprised you know that one. Not many people do,” he said as they walked to the barn. 

Her smile softened to one of tender fondness, and Luke wasn’t sure whether she was smiling at him or whatever she was thinking about. “My dad’s a huge Sinatra fan, and he always sang ‘Lily Belle’ to Mom when she had an especially rough dialysis day. Accept, my mom’s name is Rose, not Lily, so he changed the lyrics to ‘Rosie Belle.’”

A familiar ache blossomed in Luke’s chest. “My dad was a pretty big Sinatra fan, too,” he said as he settled Lily into her stall and latched her door. He didn’t mean to say it out loud. He’d intended to keep that pain inside, locked away in the most secret part of his heart he never allowed himself to access unless he was alone and it was late and he was too exhausted to keep his defenses up. 

“He was?” 

Luke nodded and ventured back out to the pasture gate. But instead of whistling for Atlas, he climbed up the high fence and rested his arms on the top. 

Julie climbed up next to him and pressed her shoulder to his. “Your dad had great taste in music. What was his favorite song?” 

Luke sighed. Memories of his dad, even good memories, had always hurt so much. Sometimes his grief squeezed his lungs like a vice, making it nearly impossible to breathe. But here, in the quiet of the night, with Julie tucked up against his side, it didn’t hurt as much. 

Well, how about that? 

“‘Strangers in the Night.’ He always told me that song could have been written about how he and Mom met.” 

Julie narrowed one eye. “You don’t sound very sure that’s the truth.” 

Luke laughed. It was weak, but it was there, and it surprised him. “It’s not entirely. He and Mom met at a skating rink when they were in high school. His skate caught on a warped piece of carpet and he dumped his nachos in her lap. They were strangers, and it was night time, but that’s where the parallels end.”

Julie shrugged, the skin of her should brushing against his. “I don’t know. ‘It turned out so right, in love forever’ seems to fit pretty well too.” 

Forever. The word sent ice through Luke’s veins. That had been taken away from all of them in the blink of an eye. 

_And whose fault is that?_

“Yeah,” he said instead. “I guess it did.” 

Julie stilled for a moment, then she pressed her shoulder into his a little more firmly. “All right, Cowboy, you still have a horse to call. I already know it’s Atlas, but if I can guess the song it still counts.”

As Luke whistled his final tune, he couldn’t help but notice Julie’s casual ease when it came to touch. Whether she was throwing an arm around Flynn or initiating a firm handshake (the girl had a grip, that was for sure) with any of the people she’d met in the last forty-eight hours, Julie didn’t seem to have any qualms about physical contact with others. In fact, she seemed to relish it. 

It wasn’t unlike how Luke was once upon a time. Before... 

If Luke was honest, being around Julie like this was like putting on an old sweater: warm and safe, with a familiar comfort that brought a flood of good memories. They weren’t exactly distinct memories; they were more like feelings that he’d had in his life, feelings that he got to repeat over and over again. 

“‘We Are the World!’” 

Julie’s voice was so sudden he almost fell off the fence. If he hadn’t been leaning on the cross beam so heavily, he may have. 

He had to snap out of this before he zoned out at the wrong moment and wound up losing a limb. 

“Ding ding ding, we have a winner,” he said as Atlas’s thundering hoofbeats brought the giant horse to the gate.

“Yes! I am the _champion_ , baby!” Julie crowed, pumping a fist in the air. 

Luke rolled his eyes and pushed himself up on Atlas's back again. “All right, Champ, now I’m going to show you how we catch the others.” 

“Champ? What happened to Pop Star?” 

Luke eyed her for a long moment. “Do you prefer Pop Star?” 

She twisted her lips into a thoughtful purse. “Hm. Tell you what. You’re the boss. Use whichever one you feel like at the time.” 

Something told him he was only “the boss” because Julie allowed it. 

Cute. 

He nodded at the lead rope he’d left hanging on the fence. “Grab that and watch the gate. Sarge won’t give you any trouble, and as long as you keep your fingers away from his mouth and clip the leadrope to the ring on the side of his halter, Fin shouldn’t be too hard to handle either. Dizzy, though…” He sighed. “I usually have to chase him into the ring. But we’ll see how it goes with you first.” He braced his hands on Atlas’s withers and clicked his tongue, guiding the horse with his legs. 

“Wait, me?” Julie’s voice squeaked after him. 

“Yeah, you. Like I said last night, Dizzy hasn’t let anyone near him since he got here. Until he saw you yesterday. For some reason, he likes you, so we’re going to try and use that to our advantage.” 

“Luke, I know you’re the boss and know what you’re doing, but are you _sure_ you know what you’re doing?” 

Her voice trembled slightly, and Luke couldn’t help his smile. “You’ll be fine, Julie. Trust me.” 

Like he’d said, Sarge and Fin were easy enough to put away. 

Dizzy was another story. It was a good thing Atlas spent so much time getting used to running in circles around a ring as a trick riding horse instead of pulling heavy wagons, otherwise he never could have kept up with Dizzy as they chased the stubborn gelding around the pasture. Luke kept trying to herd him toward the gate, but he would dart away and off in the opposite direction as soon as they got close. 

Just as Luke was about to leave him in the field for the night, a sharp whistle rang from the gate. Julie stood there, whistling and calling out to Dizzy. The palomino slowed and turned his full attention to her, stopping and watching her for a long minute. Then, to Luke’s utter amazement, Julie made her way to the stubborn gelding and clipped the leadrope to his halter. She whispered something to him and patted his cheek before waving to Luke and leading Dizzy into the barn. 

What. The. Actual. Crap.

Julie wasn’t just comfortable with animals like he’d thought. She had a natural touch with them. And it was… 

_Don’t say amazing, don’t say amazing, don’t say amazing…_

But he couldn’t deny it now. Whether she was singing on a stage or taming a seemingly feral horse, Julie was a little bit amazing. 

Not that he would tell her that. She’d be impossible. 

Once he had Atlas settled down, Luke joined Julie next to Lily’s stall. 

“You told Spencer that Lily wasn’t feeling well today.” Julie watched the mare with worry pinching her features. “What’s wrong with her?” 

Luke shook his head, wishing he had an answer. “She fought me like crazy this afternoon when I tried to saddle her, and she hasn’t been moving super well lately.” 

“Aw, poor girl,” Julie said, leaning against the stall door. 

Lily’s skin moved. At first he thought it was just the mare shaking off a fly, but then it happened again, and Luke saw it plain as day. 

“Luke,” Julie ventured carefully. “Was that a hoof?”

Luke didn’t answer. Instead he pulled out his phone and made a call. 

“Luke! Hearing from you twice in two days? You’re spoiling me, buddy. What’s up?” Nick asked, sounding as chipper as he always did. 

Luke put Nick on speaker so Julie could hear. Depending on how long she and Flynn stayed at the ranch, this could affect her too. “Hey, Nick, are you working with Doc tomorrow?” 

“Yeah, why?” 

Luke rubbed his eyes. “Can you see if she has time in her schedule to swing by the ranch?” He watched Lily as she tore at her hay net. How had he missed this? “I think I have a pregnant mare on my hands, and if my math is right, she’s due any day now.” 

“Whoa!” Julie breathed next to him. 

“Are you serious? Did someone drop one off today?” 

If only. “No, it’s Lily.” 

“Lily? But that doesn’t… When was the last time a stallion was even near… Oh.” Luke could practically hear understanding click in Nick’s brain. 

“Yeah.” 

“Oh, Bobby’s gonna die soon, isn’t he?” 

Julie whirled on Luke, alarm in her eyes. “Why is Bobby going to die soon?” 

“Because he’s responsible for this mess. And you and Nick are now obligated to help me hide the body.” 

“Um, ‘scuse you, Patterson,” Juile snapped, “I agreed to be your ranch hand, not your evil henchman. Get yourself another accomplice.” 

“I’m with Julie,” Nick chimed in, sounding genuinely nervous. “For obvious reasons, I can’t help you murder Carrie’s twin brother.”

“Obvious reasons” being the massive crush on Carrie that Nick’s been nursing since they were seventeen. Wuss.

Luke shot Julie a grin. “Fine. Nick, you’re off the hook. But Julie, you’ve already decreed I’m the boss, so you have to do what I say. And I say, Bobby dies at dawn and you get to help with the clean up.” 

“Okey dokey, ‘accessory to murder’ was not on my vet school resume, so I’m going to hang up now,” Nick cut in. “I’ll call Doc Harrison and see if we can fit you in sometime tomorrow.” He hung up before Luke could say anything else. 

Julie crossed her arms. “Okay, here’s the deal. I’ve seen all twelve seasons of _Bones_ at least five times each. I can pull this off and make it look like Barney the dinosaur did it.” She held up a finger. “However, I need the full story to make sure Bobby deserves it first.” 

Dang. Luke crossed his arms right back. “You have everyone thinking you’re this sweet, bubbly singer who just loves the music, but you’re actually a vicious monster, aren’t you?” 

Julie winked and lightly flicked his nose. “And don’t you forget it. Now. Story.” 

Luke leaned against Lily’s stall door and rubbed her belly. “About a year ago I was out of town picking up a newborn filly that had been abandoned on the side of the interstate. Cinnamon, actually.” Luke shook his head, old frustration popping up again. “Bobby got a wild hair and decided to try his hand selling rodeo roughstock — the ones that buck — and got his hands on a particularly nasty bronc. He thought I could help, but I was still on my way back with Cinnamon and Mom was in town at work, so he left the stupid animal in my pasture and drove away. He and Lily must have run into each other and…” He gestured to Lily’s belly. “Baby.” 

Julie nodded. “Wow. Jerk move on Bobby’s part. But, how about we demand child support instead of his life?” 

Luke took his hat off and ran a hand through his hair. “Some vicious monster you are. But that’s not a bad idea. The supplements she’ll need for however long she has left will be expensive, and we’re really not ready to handle a pregnant mare and a newborn foal yet. Bobby can handle all of that for me and I guess we can call it even.” He tapped Julie with his elbow. “I can always threaten to sick you and your body-disposing skills on him, too.” 

“Dang straight.” Julie yawned and stretched. “Well, I don’t know about you, but I could use a shower and my bed. Are we done for the night?” 

“Let’s fill the morning hay nets and then we can call it a day.” 

After they were done with the horses’ breakfast, Luke and Julie headed out of the barn. He paused to pat Lily’s side one last time when a long, slow stroke pressed against his hand. “Julie, come here! The foal’s moving.” 

Julie was next to him like lightning, pressing her hand to Lily’s belly. Luke took her wrist and guided it to the spot where the foal stretched against its mother’s side, covering her hand with his so she could put the right amount of pressure on the spot. 

A breathy laugh tickled Luke’s arm as the foal moved against Julie’s hand. “Wow, that’s incredible,” she whispered, eyes shining with wonder. 

She was right. As inconvenient as the whole situation was, Luke had to admit he was excited. 

For a brief moment, he let himself think about his dad again. Mitch had trained Lily as a stock horse pretty much from birth, and she was the best. Now Luke had the chance to do the same thing with Lily’s foal, be it a stock horse or a trick riding horse or whatever. He couldn’t help but see the parallels between him and his dad at the moment, and a tiny swell of pride bloomed in his chest before guilt and shame crashed down on it like an avalanche. 

Luke would never be half the horseman his father was, nor did he deserve to be. Mitch had a way with animals that most people would never understand, Luke included, and thinking for even a second that he could measure up was a massive disservice to Mitch’s memory.

So he put the thought in a box and locked it away, just like everything else. 

“Luke?” 

“Hm?” He turned and met her eyes (one thousand three), and the soft brown left him frozen in place. 

“We should head in.” Julie’s smile was shy for once, not quite the confident grin he’d come to tolerate over the course of the day.

“You’re right.” He didn’t move. 

“And you’re going to have to let go of my hand.” 

Right. He was still holding Julie’s hand. 

He was _still holding Julie’s hand._

He snatched his away and busied himself readjusting his hat on his head. “Sorry about that.” 

He half expected Julie to turn away in disgust and tell him to keep his hands to himself from now on. But she just shrugged and flicked a braid behind her shoulder as they made their way toward the house. “No big. I’ve been told my skin is like silk, so it’s not like you’re the first person to get distracted by it. It’s all completely understandable.”

Luke feigned gagging and opened the house’s front door. “Please. As if you could distract me when I have so many other more important things to think about. Like ordering hoof picks and calculating exactly how many seconds I have until you are out of my hair for good.” 

Julie paused next to the stairs that led to his room and tossed her head. “Oh, please, Patterson, you’re already falling for me. It’s only a matter of time before you’re under my spell completely. But I must warn you, I’m a notorious heartbreaker.” She collapsed against the wall and slammed a hand to her chest. “Our love can never truly be! We will both waste away for eternity, wondering what could have been!” She wailed quietly, sobbing into her hands. 

Luke flicked her hat off her head and tossed it down the hall. “Go to bed, Julie. Boss’s orders.” 

She picked her hat up and put it back on. “Just as soon as I feed Badger.” 

But then they both noticed that Badger and Millie were, once again, curled up together on the couch. 

“Huh. He never goes to sleep without dinner.” 

“Mom probably fed him when she fed Millie.” At Julie’s raised eyebrow, he pointed to the kitchen. “The day you got here, Mom told me to feed both dogs. I figured I’d just put his food and an extra bowl down next to Millie’s and whoever fed Millie could feed him too.” 

A strange look passed across Julie’s face, but it was gone so fast Luke thought his tired mind had imagined it. “Thank you. That was really sweet.” 

He shrugged. “Let it never be said Luke Patterson was anything but an accommodating host to his four-legged friends.” 

“Ah, so it’s just people you hate.” 

“Pretty much.” 

They both laughed at that, and then Julie yawned for the third time that night. “All righty, Cowboy, I’m beat. I’ll see you in the morning.” She waved and walked into her room. “Good night, Luke.” 

Luke watched her walk away and tossed her a small wave of his own before heading for the steps. “Good night, Julie.” 

Luke dreamed for the first time in a long time that night. Golden horses, curly hair, and whispered secrets danced through his mind as he slept, and if he woke up in the middle of the night thinking about Julie, well… Then he did. 

*** 

The next morning brought with it hot temperatures, a disappointing text from Nick that said he and Doc Harrison couldn’t get to Ferus Springs until the next day, and one incredibly impatient palomino. 

After they’d let the other horses into the field for the day, Luke led Dizzy into the ring and closed the gate. The gelding ran around in circles, kicking out and tossing his head every few minutes to let Luke know that he was _not_ amused with being kept away from the pasture. 

At one point he decided to fuss on the opposite side of the ring from the gate, and Luke took that opportunity to pull Julie to the center of the ring, leadrope in hand. 

“Okay, boss, so what are we doing today that requires me to be in a ring with an unrestrained and equally unhappy equine?” Julie asked, fidgeting with the lead rope as if it could shield her from Dizzy if he decided to lose his cool completely. 

“I want to see if he’ll join up with you.” 

“You mentioned join up the other day. What is it exactly?” 

“It’s a way of coaxing a horse into trusting a new human. Horses are prey animals, and they don’t trust easily if they’ve been given a reason not to, especially when it comes to humans. Join up gives them the chance to decide they want a relationship with us on their own terms.” Luke pointed at the lead rope in Julie’s hand. “I want you to take that and flick it at his back legs. Don’t hit him, but use it to get him moving.” 

Julie looked at him like he was crazy, but she took a few steps forward and did as she was told. Luke had tried to join up with the gelding so many times the horse was used to the routine and got moving without too much of a fight. 

Luke stepped up behind Julie and leaned down so he could speak softly in her ear. “Okay, we’re going to have to follow him. Walk in a circle, and if he slows down, flick the lead rope at him again. We have to keep him moving.” 

They moved as one around a small circle in the middle of the ring, Julie flicking the rope at Dizzy’s back legs any time he slowed or balked. 

“What is this supposed to accomplish?” Julie finally asked after a few minutes. 

“The point is to wear him out-” Dizzy stopped and whipped around, trying to run in the other direction. “Don’t let him get away with that, Julie.” 

For someone who had never heard of join up before a couple of days ago, Julie once again proved she had a natural ability with the stubborn horse. Dizzy listened to her in a way that he’d never listened to Luke, and Luke found himself once again impressed against his will. 

“So what’s Dizzy’s story anyway?” Julie asked, flicking the rope at him to keep him moving. 

Luke followed close behind her, hands in his pockets but ready to move in case Dizzy pulled something Julie didn’t know how to handle. “Bobby got a job as an animal control officer after his stock business tanked. Since he grew up around two ranches, they usually have him handle horse cases. Someone found Dizzy locked in a barn on a condemned farm, completely crazed. It took Bobby a while to finally get him into a trailer. We don’t really know anything else about him, other than he was dehydrated and hungry.” 

Julie’s bottom lip pushed up in a look fraught with sympathy. “Poor guy.” She rolled her shoulders and kept guiding the horse with the lead rope. “So why name him Dizzy? From what I can tell, he’s about as coordinated as they come.” 

Luke watched Dizzy run around the ring, and he couldn’t disagree with her. Especially after his antics the night before, dodging and darting away from Atlas the way he was. “Bobby had named him Disaster Zone by the time he got him here.” He grinned. “I wasn’t too keen on such a mouthful while I was working with him, so I called him Dizzy and it just… stuck.” 

A movement near the horse’s head caught Luke’s eye, and he put a hand on Julie’s shoulder and pointed. “Look there. Do you see how his ear is pointed towards us?” 

Julie lowered the lead rope and nodded. “Yeah. What about it?” 

He curled his hand around hers and raised it to flick the rope at Dizzy again, keeping him moving. “It means he’s getting tired and wants to stop. Don’t let him, keep him moving. We’re looking for one more-” 

Dizzy lowered his head and began making a chewing motion with his lips and tongue. 

Luke ducked down a little further, his lips very close to Julie’s ear. “There it is.” He thought he felt her stiffen, but it was only for a moment. He forced himself not to overthink it; they had something more important to focus on. “Okay, he’s ready to come over.” 

“Is the mouth thing how you know?” 

“Yep. Now, I want you to square your shoulders…” He put his hands on her shoulders and drew them back slightly so she was standing up straight. “Turn away from him…” He turned her so that she was facing away from where Dizzy had stopped. “And drop your eyes.” 

Julie did as she was told. “Then what?” 

Luke stood next to her, mirroring her position. “Then we wait.” 

It was probably only a few seconds, but the silence hung in the air for what felt like an eternity. Finally, the soft thud of hooves met Luke’s ears, and a heavy horse head draped over his and Julie’s shoulders. Dizzy bumped his nose against Julie’s cheek. 

“Okay, Julie, calmly turn toward him and give his forehead a rub so he knows he did the right thing.” 

As soon as she did, Luke’s fingers joined hers, rubbing Dizzy’s head for the very first time and letting him know he was safe and he could trust them. 

“Wow. That was…” Julie trailed off. 

Luke knew what she meant. For him, there was almost nothing quite as satisfying as joining up with a horse, especially one that refused to trust for such a long time. 

Dizzy closed his eyes, content with being petted and blew out a long sigh. 

Julie bit her lip as she smiled up at Luke, and his stomach fluttered just a little. 

Luke blinked. What-

A series of long, slow clicks sounded behind them, and Luke turned to see two men standing at the gate. 

The taller one, who was responsible for the slow clap, shook his head in amazement, flashing a toothy, too-white smile. “Bravo! I’ve never seen anything like that before!” 

The other man was Bobby, dressed in his animal control uniform. He wouldn’t meet Luke’s eyes, and Luke wondered if Nick had given him a heads up about Lily. 

Luke touched Julie’s shoulder, telling her to stay in the center of the ring with Dizzy. She clipped the lead to his halter and rubbed his nose. 

“Bobby,” Luke said, walking over to his cousin, “what brings you all the way out here? And with a guest?” 

The taller man stepped forward. “I’m sorry, where are my manners.” He held out his hand. “Caleb Covington, nice to meet you.” He nodded out at Dizzy. “I believe you’ve been taking care of my horse for the last couple of weeks.”

Julie’s quiet gasp sent a spike of emotion up Luke’s spine, but he kept his face neutral. “Covington? As in Covington Warmbloods, the dressage breeder?” 

Caleb nodded. “The very same. And I cannot thank you enough for taking care of my El Dorado.” He wrinkled his nose. “A disgruntled former employee of mine decided he’d rather sell my most valuable gelding and get rich quick than actually do his job. By the time I caught him, my boy was in the wind.” 

Luke narrowed his eyes. “How did you track him down here?” Something about this Covington guy didn’t sit right. Sure, Luke knew he wasn’t the most trusting individual around, but this guy reminded him too much of a rattlesnake. 

Bobby stepped forward, holding out a hand, telling Luke to back down. “He checks out, Luke. He called a couple of weeks ago, right before we found Dizzy and asked us to be on the lookout. I didn’t get the message, so I brought Dizzy here. He was out of town last week and didn’t call, and that’s why I didn’t make the connection. When he called yesterday, I figured Dizzy was probably our boy. Mr. Covington just needed to bring in El Dorado’s ownership papers, which he did this morning.” 

Bobby held up the pile of papers, which Luke took and read over. Everything was there: USDF registration, vet bills, and a whole host of other papers and pictures proving that Dizzy was, in fact, El Dorado. 

“Julie, do you mind bringing Diz - er - El Dorado over here?” 

Julie guided Dizzy over, her steps heavy but her face lit with a polite smile. 

Caleb gasped. “Julie Molina? What on Earth are you doing all the way out here?” 

She ducked her head, but gave him a small wave. “Guilty, and vacation.” 

“Sugar, don’t be shy about it.” He held out a hand to her and, when she placed hers in his, brought her fingers to his lips in a kiss. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m a big fan, especially of your second album. My employees are positively sick of hearing it, but I sign the paychecks, so I decide the tunes.” 

Julie winced slightly at the mention of her album, but Caleb didn’t seem to notice. Luke, however, did, and it was definitely not how he expected her to take a compliment.

Caleb’s icy blue eyes watched Julie as she stroked Dizzy’s neck, and Luke bristled. The other man looked almost hungry, like a dog would look at a bone. And Luke didn’t like it one bit. He maneuvered himself in front of Julie, forcing Caleb to focus on him. 

“Anyway,” Caleb said, waving his hand as if he were swatting at a gnat, “is everything in order? Is there anything else you’d like to discuss? Payment, maybe? I can compensate you for the food and care you’ve provided the entire time he’s been here.” 

Luke shook his head and handed Caleb his papers. As much as handing Dizzy over to Covington made his skin crawl, Luke couldn’t find anything out of sorts in the paperwork. “No need for that, I was happy to help him. Bobby’s right; you check out. Do you have a lead rope?” 

Caleb picked up a black lead he’d draped over the fence. “Right here.” 

Luke turned to Dizzy and patted his neck. “Later, boy. Nice getting to know you.” 

Julie pressed her forehead to Dizzy’s cheek. “It was great meeting you. I’ll miss you.” 

Caleb stepped into the ring and clipped his lead to Dizzy’s halter. “I’ll send the halter back once I get this guy home.” 

Dizzy danced back for a moment, then followed Caleb out of the ring and to a huge trailer with the ornate “CCW” logo emblazoned across the side. 

Once Caleb drove off, Julie gave a deep sigh. “Man, that kinda sucks.” 

Luke nodded. “Yeah. But at least he’s going home. That’s the other part of what I do here; I try to get lost horses home, and I try to find homes for the ones that don’t have one.” He shrugged. “This was the best case scenario.” 

Even as he said it, he couldn’t quite get his shoulders to sit comfortably

“I guess so.” She wrinkled her nose. “Still sucks.” 

“Yeah. Still sucks.” 

Bobby put a hand on her shoulder. “Hey, no worries. He’s a fan. I’m sure Covington will let you go visit if you want to.” 

Julie smiled up at him. “Yeah. Maybe.” 

Okay, time to move on from this. “Bobby, speaking of a visit, I’m glad you came. We need to have a chat.” 

“Yeah, we do, actually. I was out here yesterday delivering one of Dad’s contracts for Aunt Em to look over, and I caught sight of Lily. Is she okay? She seems to be getting a bit of a hay belly. May want to take her on a few more trail rides before dad’s cattle drive next month.” 

If Luke had had a lighter on him, he would have set Bobby’s hair on fire. “She doesn’t have a hay belly, Robert. That freaking bronc you dumped off on me last year knocked her up!” 

And so began the infamous Bobby Wilson Excuse Extravaganza. By the time he finally rolled out, he’d agreed to pay for Lily’s supplements, any bedding hay or straw they might need, a new foal-friendly feed bin and water trough, new fencing to line the paddock, and all of Lily’s vaccines. All in all, a productive conversation. 

Julie had gone into the barn and rested her folded arms on top of the half door of Dizzy’s stall, disappointment rolling off of her in waves. 

In a move more impulsive than any he’d made in seven years, Luke draped an arm around her shoulders. “Hey, Champ. Holding up okay?” 

She sighed and shrugged. “I guess. I just hate that he had to go as soon as we bonded with him.” She turned and met his gaze. “It feels like… I don’t know, like something important got ripped away. Should I feel like that if giving Dizzy back was the right thing to do?” 

The simple answer to that question? “No. It shouldn’t feel like that.” 

Julie sighed again and leaned against Luke’s side. “I have a bad feeling about this whole thing, Luke.” 

“So do I, Julie. So do I.”


	6. Promise You Won’t

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Flynn spends some time with Reggie and Alex and meets someone she’s not too fond of.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey there, fellow travelers! 
> 
> Sorry for the wait, hope you didn’t miss me too much! I’ve been enjoying engaging with you in the comments, so keep ‘em coming! 
> 
> Fair warning, updates may slow down a bit over the next few weeks. My job had a project they wanted me to do for an auction, but I never got any details on it. It’s a long project that will take several weeks, and they gave me not so much time to get it done. I’ll keep trying to write where I can, but don’t be surprised if it’s not quite as frequent. BUT it’s just until March 15! After that, we’re back to our regularly scheduled programming. 
> 
> Thanks for continuing to join me on this crazy ride, and hope you enjoy this chapter! For those of you just joining, welcome aboard! 
> 
> Take care of yourselves, and love to you all! 
> 
> ~Courty
> 
> EDIT: Hey, if you want to chat more, hit a sista up on tumblr! I'm quirky-little-penguin-blog. Come say hi!

Flynn pulled her sunglasses down as she stepped out of Julie’s car and headed into Ellington Square, the hub of life in sleepy Bribona Texas. As much as she didn’t want to admit it, Flynn found this spot very much to her liking, modern but quaint, with just a hint of western charm (she’d never thought horseshoes could be cute, but here she was, considering buying a wall hanging made of nothing _but_ horseshoes from a local artisan).

The click of her new cowboy boots echoed through the quiet buzz of the square, and once again, Flynn was glad she’d finally given in to Julie’s constant pestering and invested in a pair of orthopedic gel inserts. New boots would normally be killing her by now, but she could stand in these all day without a thought. Good thing too; her new denim sundress and cream colored crocheted vest would not be complete without Julie’s ridiculously cute “please don’t kill me for dragging you to Texas for a month” peace offering. 

Thoughts of Julie brought a smile to Flynn’s lips. It was amazing, the change only two days away from the madness had done for her best friend. When she laughed, it was from the deepest pits of her stomach again, just like when they were kids. And not worrying about whether her hair and makeup were on point all the time relaxed her so much that Flynn could visibly see the stress lines disappearing from the singer’s face. 

Willfully dressing to the nines had always been more Flynn’s thing anyway; Flynn felt like she had her life together when she was put together, and that kept her naturally uptight, snippy personality at bay. But Julie was more of a free spirit, wearing whatever was comfortable and unconcerned with whether she was covered in fabric paint from one of her projects or her hair was frizzy from playing outside when Flynn would come to hang out or go shopping. 

Flynn giggled at the memory of their senior prom. Julie had gotten side tracked with a paint project (then inspired by the project to write a song) when she was supposed to be getting ready and completely freaked when she realized she only had thirty minutes before Flynn and their dates would be there to pick her up. In her panic, she’d thrown her lavender dress on without washing her hands and had gotten turquoise paint all over it. But, instead of panicking, Julie and her mom had taken the dress off, splatter painted it with more turquoise, white, and dark purple paint, and dried it with a hair dryer all in about seven minutes. Julie had just enough time to wet her curls and throw some product in before Flynn and the guys showed up. She’d won prom queen that night. 

Julie was the kind of person that made it possible to believe that anything you tried would work as long as you did it with complete confidence. And part of her, the beautiful spark that could ignite revolutions, had dimmed and withered over the years. But here, at Ferus Springs, surrounded by animals and nature and life (and a budding, slightly antagonistic friendship with a certain grouchy rancher), Julie Molina was slowly becoming just Jules again, and Flynn couldn’t be happier for her. 

And now it was Flynn’s turn. Julie wasn’t the only one who had lost herself in the psychotic shuffle of the day to day life of a recording artist, and Flynn was not going to waste even a second of her newfound freedom to dive back into her first love too. 

At least she wasn’t until she found herself falling forward after something slammed into her back. 

A pair of strong arms caught her and whisked her around so she stayed standing and didn’t hit the pavement. The sudden movement sent Flynn’s heart into her throat, and for a moment, she thought she’d die. 

“Whoa, sorry about that! I should have been watching where I was- Wait, Flynn?” 

Flynn zeroed in on her attacker/savior, and was startled by a pair of smiling green eyes. “Reggie?” 

He grinned and stood her up right. “Hey! What are you doing this far from the Springs?” 

Flynn brushed off her dress and checked to make sure she didn’t drop any of her stuff out of her purse. “Um, Katriesa, the woman who owns The Ivy Lane Boutique, invited me to apprentice with her while Julie and I are here.” 

Reggie tilted his head, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion. “You’re going to spend your entire vacation working?” 

When he put it like that, it did sound odd, but it made sense to Flynn. “Well, Julie’s having a blast helping Luke out around the ranch, but horses aren’t really my thing.” 

“Hm. I get that. So what is your thing?” 

“Fashion. I was actually majoring in fashion merchandising when Julie caught her break with Destiny Management. I wanted to make sure my girl was treated right, so I switched my major to music business and that was that.” 

Reggie blinked. “Whoa. That’s intense. So, you’re here working because…” 

“It’s not going to be work. I’ve always loved seeing how the right outfit can help someone tell the world, ‘This is me, take it or leave it.’ I always wanted to help people express themselves by finding that piece that really tied what they were trying to say about themselves together.” She smiled. “Music is a great job, but it doesn’t afford me much time to really play around with my sewing machine anymore. With Luke keeping Julie busy, I have time to do my thing.” 

He eyed her appreciatively. “Wow. You gave up all of that to make sure Julie would be okay?” 

Flynn shrugged. “She was going through some tough stuff at the time and needed someone with a cool head to make sure everyone stayed on the up and up.” She flipped a bit of hair over her shoulder. “I dare anyone to mess with my girl while I’m on watch.” 

Eyes wide, Reggie shook his head in… awe? “You’re the definition of ‘ride or die,’ huh?” 

“Basically.” She sighed and placed the back of her hand on her forehead. “What _would_ Julie do without me?” 

Reggie laughed and threw a piece of green fabric over his shoulder. “Flail in the music industry until there was nothing left but trashy pop tunes that may as well scream ‘Please, someone have sex with me!’” 

Flynn joined him in his laughter. 

After a moment, though, she calmed and crossed her arms at him. “So, what are you doing here? Isn’t it a little early to be out of school?” 

“Fall break, remember?” 

“Right.” He’d mentioned that yesterday. It had been so long since Flynn had been in the education system she forgot that was a thing. “So what had you in such a hurry that you plowed into me?” She got a closer look at the fabric over his shoulder. “Wait, is that an apron?” 

Reggie hooked his thumb in the direction they’d both been moving. “Job number two. Assistant teaching is my passion, but it’s not the most lucrative field I could have chosen. So in addition to cultivating the beautiful minds of the unique and special children in my care, I’m also The Book and Bean’s master barista/book aficionado. And I was running late.” 

“Um… Aren’t you still running late?” 

He checked his watch. “Nah. I _am_ late now, so I guess there’s no rush.” He offered her his arm. “We’re heading to basically the same place, so why don’t I walk you?” 

Flynn smirked, then looped her arm through the crook of his. “Nice to see Southern manners extend this far west,” she said as they made their way down the sidewalk. 

“Hey, we’re alphabet twins. That makes us practically family.” 

“Alphabet twins?” 

He grinned. “Texas and Tennessees. Only two states in the country that start with ‘T.’ Hence, family.” 

“That doesn’t… You know what, I’m not going to question it.” 

“Probably a wise move,” Reggie said with a wink. 

They fell into a comfortable silence as they walked, Flynn hugging his arm a little more firmly. It wasn’t like she needed him to walk her. She was perfectly capable of doing that herself, and she knew how to get to the boutique. But the fact was, he’d offered, and he wasn’t exactly hard on the eyes. Who was she to discourage a handsome young man from being a gentleman just because she was a modern, independent woman? 

“So,” Reggie chirped after a few minutes of silence, “what brought you and Julie all the way out here in the first place? Most people who decide to go on vacation don’t pick central Texas as their relaxation destination.” 

Flynn pursed her lips. “Julie called me one day, said, ‘We’re going to Texas for vacation, pack what you need,’ then showed up at my apartment a few days later.” She shrugged. “All she would say was that she needed to get away for a little while.” That was mostly true. Julie _had_ just said she needed to get away, but that was because Flynn already knew the reason why. And that was not something she was going to share with a guy she’d just met, no matter how cute and charming and trustworthy he seemed. 

“Huh.” Reggie nodded. “Well, she picked a three hundred one square mile city that houses about thirteen thousand people. If she was looking for ‘away,’ Bribona is just about perfect.” 

“How do you know that off the top of your head?” 

Reggie held his finger up to his lips and shushed her quietly. “I’m actually a genius, but I like for people to think I’m kind of a flake so they talk more freely around me.” 

Wait. “Seriously?” 

Reggie twisted his mouth into a mischievous pucker. “You’d be surprised what you can learn when people think you’re too dumb to follow along with what they’re saying.” 

He was actually serious. “And what possible advantage can that give you?” 

“Knowing stuff. You never know when you’re going to need to know something, and knowing it when you need it can save a life. Or a job. Or help you find the best tacos. What other advantage do I need?” 

Flynn was speechless, and that was something that _never_ happened. Who was this guy and why was he so very intriguing? 

He looked up and pulled them to a stop. “Well, it looks like our journey together has come to a close.” He pointed up at the intricately carved sign for The Ivy Lane Boutique. He unhooked his arm from hers and swept his other arm out as he bowed deeply. “It has been a pleasure escorting you through the kingdom, my sweet, fair maiden.” Without straightening, he held out his hand. She placed her fingers in his, and he gently picked them up and pressed them to his lips. 

Flynn giggled and dropped into a dramatic curtsy. “The pleasure was all mine, good sir.” Under normal circumstances, she wouldn’t have played along. In fact, had they been anywhere else, and had Reggie been any _one_ else, she would have most likely called him a cheeseball who needed to work in his pick up skills and told him to get lost. 

But when Reggie did it, it felt like it was just him being Reggie. 

Or maybe she just wanted to see it that way because he was so sweet. 

“Hey, you’re not a vegetarian, are you?” 

Reggie’s question snapped her out of her head, both because of how sudden it was and how random it was. “What?” 

“Are you a vegetarian?” 

Flynn shook her head. “I probably could be if ribs didn’t exist. Or chicken legs. Or filet mignon. But they do, so I can’t. Why?” 

“I’m working on a grilled turkey melt to add to our menu, and I’d love your opinion.” He pointed to a shop a few doors down from Ivy Lane. The sign was a coffee cup with a small curl of steam resting on top of a pile of books. “The Book and Bean” was carved into the spines of the books. “Would you be willing to join me for my lunch break? One o’clock?”

There was an openness in Reggie’s face that she couldn’t ignore. Or deny. And besides all that, a turkey melt sounded fantastic. 

There wasn’t any harm she could see. 

“That sounds amazing. I’ll be there.” 

The grin that split his face could have melted an iceberg. “Great! I’ll see you then!” He waved as he walked backwards and then disappeared into the shop. 

Flynn stood still for a second, then made her way into Ivy Lane. 

“Hey, there’s my girl!” a bright, slightly raspy voice called from behind the counter. Katriesa Bowers, Ivy Lane’s owner, darted from behind the counter and wrapped Flynn in a hug much stronger than her four-foot-nine frame would suggest. “Are you ready to get started?” 

Giddy butterflies burst through Flynn’s stomach. Working in the music business was all well and good, but there was nothing like the excitement that the endless possibilities of a sewing machine and some good fabric could spark in Flynn’s soul. Managing was her career, but creating was her calling. 

There was only one answer she could give: “Let’s go!” 

*** 

Flynn couldn’t remember the last time she’d had so much fun. Katriesa was a complete and total master. Not only did she design some of the clothing in her shop from scratch, but she also took donations and would cut, stitch, and tie different pieces from those to create something cute, chic, and totally one-of-a-kind. The way her brain worked was amazing, and she was willing to share all of her secrets with Flynn purely because she was the nicest person in the world. 

Emily Wilson would always be Flynn’s greatest hero, but Katriesa Bowers was quickly becoming her second greatest hero, and that was a feat not often accomplished. 

Flynn was so starstruck at one point that she poked herself with a needle three times in ten seconds. 

“Okay, sweet pea, let’s take ourselves a little break,” Katriesa said firmly, taking the shirt Flynn was piecing together from her hands. “Why don’t you go get yourself something to eat.” 

Flynn glanced at the clock and, as much as she fought it, a giddy flutter zinged through her chest. It was 12:56. Reggie had invited her to The Book and Bean at one. And she was nothing if not punctual. 

But would that look too desperate? Flynn sighed. Her experience in the guy department was not as extensive as it could have been; Julie’s hectic schedule didn’t leave much time for a love life. Any time, if she was being honest. 

“Quit stressing about it and just go.” 

Flynn jumped and whirled on Katriesa. “What?” 

Katriesa snickered. “You’re overthinking it. I can practically hear the gears turning in that pretty head of yours. He asked you to meet him, so go meet him.”

“You heard that?” 

“I saw it. Wasn’t hard to put two and two together.” Katriesa winked. “Seems that cutie has a little crush on you, hon.” 

Flynn rolled her eyes so hard it almost hurt. “I met the guy yesterday. He doesn’t know me well enough to have a crush.” Sure, they’d spent hours after Spencer’s mom picked him up the day before hanging out with Alex, Julie, and Luke, but was that enough time to develop a proper crush? Flynn was going to go with ‘no.’ 

“Someone should tell that to him. Because from what I saw...” She left the statement open-ended, turning her attention back to the dress she was sewing. 

Flynn had kindly dismissed people enough times to recognize when it was happening to her . With one last withering look at her new mentor, she grabbed her purse and walked to the front door. 

“Heading to the B and B, huh?” Cassidy, the cashier, asked, not looking up from the magazine she flipped through. “Tell Reg I said hi.” 

Flynn’s cheeks heated, but she ducked out into the square before anyone could see. 

This was not happening. Katriesa was not teasing her about Reggie, and she was not slightly panicking at the thought of meeting him too early. She was only going to be in Texas for a month. This was just going to be a tiny case of fun and meaningless flirting. Reggie did not have a crush on her (for crying out loud, they weren’t twelve). She did not have a crush on him (who even said that was a thing???). 

She was going to try a sandwich. That was all. It was _just_ a sandwich. Made by a really cute guy. With an adorable personality and infectious sense of humor. 

Dang it, dang it, dang it. 

She pushed the door to The Book and Bean open and her mouth fell open. 

There was only one way to describe the place, and that was unequivocally cool. Mismatched tables, booths, and plush Queen Anne chairs were tucked into every nook and cranny of the shop, many occupied by people from every walk of life. Some were on laptops, some were on phones, but most were sipping on a beverage of some sort and absorbed in a book. Each sitting area was separated by an unending series of book shelves crammed with books of every size, shape, color, age and genre. The collection carried everything from _The Little Engine that Could_ to _The Chronicles of Narnia_ to _The Hunchback of Notre Dame_ in the original French. There were all manner of poetry, self help, psychology, biographies, text books, cook books... Some of the books were so new they’d probably never been opened, others were held together by duct tape and a prayer. And the music… Soft, jazzy guitar floated through the air, and created the perfect atmosphere for curling up with a hot drink and a good book. 

Flynn closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath. The warm, cozy scent of books and coffee mixed with the spicy nip of chai, and she could only think of one word: _home_.

“Flynn!” 

Her eyes snapped open and she immediately found Alex, phone in hand, waving her over to the serving counter, where he sat on a stool nursing a drink. 

“Alex, hey.” She could hear how distracted she was, but she didn’t want to be totally rude. “What is this place?” 

Alex grinned. “This, Flynn dear, is one of Bribona’s diamonds in the rough. Anne Marie Bardugo, the owner, used to work at a publishing company in Dallas, and she hated that books had gotten so expensive. So, when she moved here after she got married and started a family, she opened a place where people could donate, exchange, and borrow books freely. She doesn’t worry about keeping track of what books she has because, to her, it doesn’t matter. If someone keeps a book, more power to them. She gets plenty of donations, so she never runs out.” 

Flynn shook her head. “Okay, why does it sound like you practiced that?” 

Alex cringed. “Oh, no, I’m doing it again. I was a tour guide at Bribona State for my work study in college, and I guess old habits really do die hard.” 

“I guess they do.” Flynn glanced around for something to say. “So, are you here to see Reggie?” 

Alex’s thumbs tapped his phone’s screen a few times, then he slipped the device into his back pocket. “Yeah, he invited me to come try the new turkey melt he’s working on, and I can’t say no to free food.” 

Oh. So it wasn’t just her. Good. Yeah, that was totally, completely, one hundred percent a-okay with her. 

So why did her stomach sink just a teensy bit? 

Alex eyed her for a second. “How about you? What brings you to The Book and Bean on this fine afternoon?” 

Flynn shook herself a little. Focus, girl. “Reggie asked me to try his sandwich too. Guess he wanted more than one opinion.” 

“Honest opinions, too. He knows I’m going to tell the truth, and I think he got the same vibe from you.” He reached out and pulled the stool next to him out so Flynn could hop on. “He’ll be over here in just a second. He’s finishing up with a customer.” 

Flynn turned away from Alex and her mouth went dry. 

The way Reggie moved behind that counter was like a dance. He threw together a drink in less than a minute with a hand so experienced he barely looked at what he was doing while he chatted with the woman in line. 

“Wow.” 

“Yeah.” Alex shook his head, but Flynn could tell there was a fondness there that could only come from years of friendship. Kind of like how she was with Julie. “This was actually Reggie’s first job. He’s worked here since we were in high school, and Anne Marie just kept him after he graduated college and got his job teaching. She’s always been willing to work around his schedule just to keep him on.” 

“He must be good.” 

“The best the B and B has ever had.” 

“And there we are!” Reggie said, sliding a sleeve on the cup and handing her a plate with a huge scone on it. “A Caramel Sugar Bean Special for my favorite sugar bean.” He leaned on his elbow and tossed a wink in the woman’s direction, then nodded toward a shelf next to a table tucked into a bay window. “You’ll find _The Poisonwood Bible_ on the third shelf over there. Let me know what you think when you’re done with it, I’ve been thinking of giving it a read myself.” 

She smiled and headed to the empty table. “Thanks, Reggie!” she called over her shoulder. 

Flynn’s stomach sank just a little more. “I see Reggie is quite the natural flirt, isn’t he?” She didn’t mean to say that out loud. She _really_ didn’t mean to say that out loud. 

Alex barked a laugh and shook his head. “He’s fine as long as he’s the only one flirting. The moment a woman shows even the slightest bit of interest in return he turns into a complete romance potato.” He laughed harder and ran a hand through his blond hair. “When we were in tenth grade, he tossed one of our Sunset Curve t-shirts at Allie Warner, the most popular girl in our grade, and told her it was size beautiful, just for her. She found him later that day to say thanks and tell him she thought he was really cute, and he literally couldn’t form words. He just grunted a few times and kept this blank stare on his face until she became so uncomfortable and she just walked away.” He winced and put his hand over his heart. “It was literally the most painful thing I’ve ever watched. I don’t think he spoke to a girl again until we were sophomores in college.” 

That couldn’t be true. Flynn thought back to their walk that morning. Reggie seemed perfectly in his element bantering back and forth with her. The guy never missed a beat. So either she was really bad at flirting, or he wasn’t flirting with her at all. 

Before she could ponder it further, an arm slid around her shoulders, and she nearly fell off her stool. 

Reggie’s arm tightened around Flynn’s shoulders, and he chuckled in her ear. “Careful, Flynn. This is the second time I’ve had to keep you upright today. People may think you’re falling for me, and you know what they say about small town gossip.” 

Alex’s eyes widened in horror. “Please tell me I just hallucinated and those words didn’t actually come out of your mouth.” 

Flynn was about to agree, but stopped herself. She could either spend the rest of her day wondering if Reggie was actually flirting with her, or she could test Alex’s theory and see if her flirting back would freeze him up. She turned to him, ignoring the flutter of nerves as she saw how close together their faces were, and raised a challenging eyebrow. “Reggie, sweetheart, the term ‘knock me off my feet’ ceases to count when you take it literally.” She pushed her lips just a little closer to his ear. “Stop running into me, and we won’t be giving anyone anything to talk about.” 

“I can’t believe it.” Alex put his head down on the counter. “There are two of them.”

Reggie just laughed and ruffled Alex’s hair. “Told you, man, she’s something special.” 

Flynn froze. “You did?” 

Reggie took his apron off and hung it on a hook, then clicked a few buttons on the computer to clock out. “Yup! Those were my exact words, too.”

Alex shot Flynn a look she couldn’t read.

Reggie just turned away from them and stuck his head in the fridge. “You two ready for a sandwich that will tickle your tastebuds until you cry?” 

“Sounds painful, but I’m in.” Alex’s phone buzzed and he smiled at the message. 

“Murder Skater again?” Reggie asked over his shoulder, pulling thick hunks of turkey from a container. 

“That’s none of your business, is it?” 

They passed Reggie’s lunch hour gushing over his sandwich, which Flynn insisted was the best sandwich she’d ever tasted. Turkey pulled straight from the bone was toasted on a focaccia loaf spread with a generous helping of pesto sauce, and the sharp tang of plenty of Muenster cheese was simple but delicious. Add to that the fact that Reggie grilled it to melty perfection and paired it with creamy tomato soup, and Flynn honestly thought she was going to have a conniption right then and there. 

“Reg, this is amazing,” Alex said, dragging a string of melted cheese from his chin into his mouth. “Are you going to try and get Jason to put this on the menu?” 

“Get Jason to put what on the menu?” a deep voice asked.

A guy emerged from an office to the side of the prep area behind the counter, no apron covering his open collared button down shirt. A laser printed name tag was pinned to his shirt instead of a handwritten one like Reggie had. Everything about this guy screamed “manager.” 

Reggie smiled and handed Jason the other half of his sandwich. “I call it ‘Muenster Under the Bed.’ What do you think?” 

Jason took a huge bite and shrugged. “Edible. Add that to the list of temporary specials. I’ll order what you need for a few more. I don’t know how well it’ll do, but we may add it to the menu in a couple of months if there’s enough interest.” He checked his watch. “Isn’t your break about over?” 

Reggie kept his smile, but Flynn could see it fall just a little. “Thanks, boss. And I still have fifteen minutes.” 

Jason rolled his eyes. “Could you cut it short? We’re pretty slammed.” 

They were not. Yes, there were a good number of people in the shop, but either Reggie or the other girl behind the counter had served everyone in line. 

Flynn narrowed her eyes at Jason. “Edible” was the bare minimum way to describe this sandwich. Reggie had explained his process in forming the recipe, and he worked really hard on it. Dismissing it so quickly and asking him to cut his break short when he was clearly with his friends was obviously a power play. She hated power plays. 

Jason’s gaze passed over Alex completely and focused right on Flynn. “Well hello there,” he practically purred, a slow smile sliding over his lips. He pushed past Reggie and held out his hand. “Jason Bardugo. I’m the manager here.” He took Flynn’s hand (which she did not offer) and shook it. “Who might you be? I think I’d remember if I’d met a woman as enchanting as you in the last few months.” 

Not interested, not flattered, and not fooled, that’s who. Flynn popped her last bite of sandwich in her mouth and chewed slowly, savoring every last taste before answering with a flat, “Flynn.”

“Flynn…” Jason said her name like he was tasting it, rolling it around in his mouth. It made Flynn’s skin crawl. “And what brings you to our humble little shop, Flynn?” 

“The Muenster Under the Bed, actually,” she said, giving Reggie a smile. “It’s probably the most amazing sandwich I’ve ever had.” She scooped a bite of her soup into her mouth. “Not putting it on your permanent menu would be a very unwise decision if you ask me.” 

The hungry arch of Jason’s eyebrow flattened, and he stood up straighter, finally leaving Flynn’s space. “I’ll see what I can do. Are you going to be in town for a while?” 

“Long enough to know whether you’re full of it or not.” Screw Southern manners, Flynn did not like this guy. 

Jason’s face hardened ever so slightly. Then he turned back to Reggie. “Fifteen minutes, then I want to see you working. Not a second longer.” He turned on his heel and stomped back into the office. 

Alex threw a mock salute at his back. “Yes, sir.” 

Flynn turned back to Reggie and the look on his face killed whatever she was about to say. His smile was impossibly soft, and… Was that a blush? 

No. Nope, it was not. And his smile wasn’t _that_ soft. 

“Thanks,” Reggie whispered, snapping her back to the present. 

She shook her head. “Don’t even think about it. I told the truth and nothing more.” 

Reggie ducked his head and rubbed the back of his neck. “Still. A pretty girl ready to stand up to my boss for me after only knowing me for two days?” He grinned. “Like I said. Something special.”

Her heart beat just a little too fast, and the room was _way_ too hot. She had to get out of there before she lost complete control of her emotions and said something stupid. 

“Well, fellas, this has been so much fun, but I’d better get back to Ivy Lane.” Her voice sounded high and hysterical, which was all the more reason to get out of there as fast as she could. 

“Are you sure?” Reggie asked, his lip forming a slight pout. “We still have a few minutes.” 

“Yeah, and you’re super fun!” Alex added. 

Stop. Please, someone make them stop. “Yes. I need to go. Right now. But thanks for the sandwich! It was amazing.” 

Disappointment weighed Reggie’s shoulders down, but he threw her a wave anyway. “All right. Come back and see me, okay?” He winked. “I know an employee who has no problem spotting you a heavy employee discount.” 

With a small wave back, Flynn fled the shop and the feelings Reggie stirred inside her. 

When she stepped out into the sunshine, she could finally breathe again, but each one felt like sandpaper in her throat. Dangerous, that is what this place was. She had to be careful. Very careful. 

She pulled her phone from her purse and opened a new text. 

_Jules, we have to make a pact right now. We CANNOT fall in love while we’re here, with anything or anyone. At the end of this month, we go home and we don’t look back. No getting too attached. I know it could be so easy, but promise me you won’t._

She closed her phone and exhaled a long, slow breath. 

She couldn’t do this. She couldn’t end up like _her_. 

And, in that moment, she swore that she wouldn’t.

***

“What in the world was that?” Alex asked, cradling his head in his hand as if he couldn’t keep it up any longer. 

Reggie glanced back at his friend over his shoulder as he looped his apron over his head. “What was what?” 

“You. I’ve _never_ seen you that smooth with a woman. Like ever.” He shook his head. “Who are you and what have you done with my favorite dorkasaurus?” 

As much as Reggie wanted to deny it, he knew Alex was right. He’d never been good at talking to women he found attractive. Women who had absolutely no interest in him? Easy peasy. He put on a good front, but floundered as soon as anything more reached the realm of possibility. But with Flynn? Talking (and flirting) was easy. He had no idea why, and he couldn’t even begin to guess what she thought about the whole thing. But from what he could tell, she was amazing. She was funny and kind and fearless, all things he tried to be from day to day. And the truth was he thought she was really cool.

“I wish I could tell you,” he finally said, clocking back in. “I guess she just brings out the best in me.” 

Alex threw away his trash and pulled his messenger bag over his shoulder. “Maybe so. But just remember, she’s only here for a month, and she lives a thousand miles away. Literally.” 

“I know, Alex.” 

Alex nodded and patted Reggie’s shoulder. “I just don’t want to see that big, beautiful heart of yours get broken, okay? So promise me you won’t fall in love with her.” 

Reggie held his friend’s gaze for a moment, then gave a single nod and turned to a customer. 

Love? Who said anything about love? He’d known her for two days. Don't fall in love? He wasn’t even in like yet. 

But in the back of his mind, that annoying voice of hard truth sang one word over and over like a refrain. 

_Yet, yet, yet, yet, yet… ___


	7. When the Echoes Rage

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Julie finds herself in the wrong place at the wrong time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, there, fellow travelers! 
> 
> Long time no see on this one (SUPER sorry about that!), but chapter 7 is finally here! 
> 
> I'm dedicating this particular chapter to Missjoolee, both for the TikTok (the link to which can be found in the comments for chapter 1) that inspired one of the pictures of Reggie, and for invading my mind with her dreams and guessing that this scene was coming. A+ and gold star, friend! 
> 
> Also, this chapter is a little... less sunshine and unicorns than I wanted it to be... Sorry. 
> 
> Anywho, as always, let me know how you're enjoying the story! Enjoy! 
> 
> Stay safe, stay well, and much love to you all!
> 
> ~Courty
> 
> Plus plus also and, for all you Heartland fans out there, the small barn is in fact the Heartland barn, and we finally get to see the Loft!!!

Julie tucked her head into Luke’s shoulder for a moment, then raised up and smiled. “No use crying over a spilled trough, I guess.” She straightened, only a little disappointed when Luke’s arm fell away from her shoulders. “What’s next on the list, boss?” 

Luke eyed her for a moment, his lips curving into a thoughtful twist. “You sure you’re okay?” 

She thought about saying she was fine. Had it been another situation, she would have. She was tough. 

There was no reason for her to be as sad as she was about Dizzy; she’d only known the silly animal for a few days. But something inside her shifted the moment he planted his heavy head on her shoulder, and to have him taken away so quickly after was as jarring as whiplash.

So instead of faking it like she usually would, she decided to be honest. “No. I’m not.” 

He nodded and put a hand on her shoulder. “How about I let you cash in on that bet from last night?” He nodded toward the house. “Go take the rest of the morning off. Do whatever it is that pop stars do.” 

Julie was going to argue but stopped. He’d only asked her to wait for her break because of Dizzy. And Dizzy was gone. No need to delay her break now. And if she was being honest, her sadness had sparked a few more lines of music in the song that ran rampant in her head any time she had a moment to herself. She still didn’t have lyrics, but this was the first bit of music she’d had in over a year. It would be unwise to waste the opportunity when Luke was offering. 

“Are you sure?” she finally asked. “I don’t want to leave if you have other things you want us to get done.” 

He shook his head and grabbed a lead rope. “I need to spend some time working with Fin anyway, and he cuts up way more when he has an audience.” A smile softened his features. “You go relax. I’ll take care of things out here.” 

Relaxing was exactly what she was _not_ going to do, but she offered a smile in return. “Careful, there, Cowboy. Your magnanimous side is showing.” She reached up and patted his cheek. “May want to tuck that back in before someone sees it.” 

He snorted. “Never fear, I’m leaving the _real_ work for after lunch. Rest up while you can.” 

“Bring it on, Taskmaster.” 

“Oo, Taskmaster.” He looked at the ceiling, rolling the name around. “Now that one I like.” 

“Yeah, not adding that to your growing list of nicknames,” Julie said as she walked toward the barn door. Just before she left, she turned back. “For real, though, thanks Luke.” 

He reached up and tipped his hat to her, then turned his attention back to fiddling with a lead rope. 

Julie ran to her room and snagged her backpack, keyboard, its stand, the stool she used, and headed to the older barn Emily had pointed out the day before. Carefully balancing all of it under one arm, she pushed the barn door open, stepped inside, and was immediately pummeled by a thick cloud of dust. 

She leaned her keyboard and equipment against a wall just as a rough, scratchy cough burst from her chest. She waved her hand through the air, desperately trying to clear a bubble of clean air, but it wasn’t working out. Finally, the air cleared enough for her to get a lungful without sucking down half the dust in the barn and she was finally able to take a look around. 

The barn was definitely smaller than the one on the other side of the house, with only six stalls, and they were about half the size of the stalls in the main barn. Between the stall closest to the right side of the door and the next stall was a short hallway that led to a tiny office. A set of stairs led up to an open space in the top of the barn. That must be the loft Emily mentioned. 

She put her foot on the bottom step, but something in the office caught her eye. Pictures and ribbons covered almost every spot on the graying walls, each one covered in its own layer of dark dust and grime. 

Julie stepped into the room and ran a finger over the closest photo, revealing a tiny boy laughing as a tall man, definitely Mitch, led him around on a brown miniature horse. A little slip of torn notebook paper sat in the corner of the picture, _Luke’s first ride on Coco Puff_ penciled on it in Emily’s beautiful script. 

The next picture was of four boys and a girl, all about twelve years old and in cowboy hats and boots. Two of the boys and the girl held up a blue ribbon, and the other two boys stood on either side of the group, screaming with glee. Another piece of notebook paper was tucked into the corner of this one as well. _Luke, Bobby, and Carrie- first team penning blue ribbon._ The ribbon itself hung next to the photo. 

Julie smiled. She could see Luke and his cousins now in the kids faces, and the other two boys were obviously Alex and Reggie. 

She continued to make her way through the pictures, ribbons, and awards, watching as Luke and the others grew up, their families right beside them. Alex’s parents wrapped him in a hug after he performed in a school Christmas performance; Reggie’s mom ruffled his hair on his thirteenth birthday; Bobby and Carrie stood between their parents and winced in disgust as their dad pressed a kiss to Carrie’s cheek and their mom mirrored them with a kiss to Bobby’s. Competitions, rodeos, birthdays, everything was on these walls. She was careful to read each slip of paper Emily had put in the frames. 

_Carrie and Snapdragon’s first blue ribbon- Bribona 2009 Spring Classic, show jumping._

_Bobby wins Calf Roping Buckle, Bandera County Rodeo, 2010._

_Alex and Carrie’s first hip hop recital._

_Reggie Peters, District Spelling Bee Champion!_

_Luke’s fifteenth birthday party._

A particularly sweet picture of Reggie caught her eye. He stood in front of a stall, both hands in front of his face, batting at a horse’s bottom lip. She peered closer. Was that Sarge? And was that Sarge’s tongue, not his lip? She glanced down at the slip of paper Emily put with that picture. _Reggie being… Reggie_ summed it up beautifully. 

She made her way around the room, watching in almost real time as they grew up and guitars, drums, and dancing joined the ribbons, buckles, and saddles. 

Julie caught one picture of Carrie and four other girls dressed in matching outfits in different neon colors, each frozen in the middle of a synchronized dance move, and her jaw dropped. _Dirty Candy debuts at Bandera Talent Search!_

And then she found the photos of the boys. _Sunset Curve’s Debut Performance!_ , _Sunset Curve wins BHS’s Battle of the Bands!!_ , and so many others displayed just how much Emily and Mitch supported Luke and his dream. And just like she remembered from high school, they were so ridiculously happy. 

Especially Luke. His smiles were bigger than any she’d seen from him in real life, and those eyes… She didn’t know so much wild freedom could exist in one person. Luke was born to make music, it was all too easy to see. 

Yet even in the midst of the changes, they still made time to play with their horses and spend time with their families. 

Julie shook her head, overwhelmed. She loved that, even though music and dance became an integral part of all five kids’ lives, they never let it interfere with their lives on the ranch. 

How she wished she’d been able to keep her younger self alive when she’d found her success. 

She slipped down the walls until she came to the last picture. Luke and Mitch sat in a stall, Mitch’s arm wrapped around Luke’s shoulders. They both smiled like Cheshire cats, but their attention was focused on a tiny, newborn foal curled up in the hay in front of them, Luke cradling its head in his lap. The slip of paper under the glass read _Luke and Mitch deliver Lily, January 8, 2013_. 

Julie’s stomach twisted. That was the year Mitch died. She had no idea what month it had happened, but this had to be one of the last pictures of Luke’s dad anyone ever took. 

She ran a finger down the outline of Luke’s face. She wanted to see that smile in real life. 

_I can’t stand to see it,  
Watching you fall apart._

The words snapped into place on top of the melody that slid through her mind like satin. 

She had to write that down. Now. 

Photos forgotten for now, she ran to her keyboard and lugged it and her equipment back into her arms. She tore up the creaking stairs, but as soon as she entered the loft, everything slowed to a crawl. 

Two small windows on the wall to her left allowed in just enough light for Julie to see an old, full-sized bed tucked into the far left corner of the room. The rest of the space was filled with a jumble of… something. She set her keyboard and backpack against the wall next to her and stepped toward the other side of the room. She could make out a familiar mixture of rounded edges and sharp, narrow shadows. 

A drum kit. 

A light design swished across the front of the bass drum, and Julie’s heart clenched. She couldn’t see it clearly, but she knew what that was. She took a few more steps forward, but her foot caught on a chord and she yelped as she stumbled forward, barely regaining her balance before her face met the floor. She glanced back at the wall near the door. There had to be a light switch somewhere...

Bingo. There it was right next to the door. She flipped it, but nothing happened. Huh. Emily said the place was still wired, but judging by the lack of lightbulbs and layers upon layers of dust (how many dead skin cells and dust mite droppings was that??), nothing in here had been turned on in a hot second. 

She scanned the room, hoping for a lamp or a clap light or something, when a large set of wooden shutters between the tiny glass windows caught her eye. The closed window went half way up the high wall and was latched at the top, way out of Julie’s reach. She grabbed her stool, unfolded it, and prayed it would hold her full weight for a few seconds, then climbed up and flipped the latch. 

Flynn would murder her if she saw her right now. Which, honestly, made it all the more fun. 

Julie hopped down and pushed the shudders out, opening the room to the full light and heat of the late morning sun. Much better. 

The window opened onto a magnificent view of the property, and Julie was once again blown completely away by how gorgeous Ferus Springs was. 

But the view was not why she was here. 

Julie inched her way back to facing the right side of the room, and even though she knew what to expect, the sight of it still sent a chill across her skin. 

A black drum kit sat behind a conundrum of different guitars. To the left a red and white electric bass rested in its stand, and a solid red electric guitar took up the same position to the right. In the middle, resting quietly in their own stands, sat two more electric guitars, the white one now a dove gray because of the dust, the other a beautiful shade of dark cerulean. 

And, still stark white against the bass drum’s black skin, was the tell tale swipe of Sunset Curve. 

Tears pricked at the back of Julie’s eyes, and she blinked hard to keep them at bay. Each instrument sat where its partner once stood, all loyal sentinels standing watch, waiting for their boys to come home. 

For a split second, Julie could see the boys rocking out, dancing, singing, and just being themselves. They were happy, the instruments were playing again, and all was right with the world. It was the saddest, most beautiful thing Julie had ever witnessed. 

_Has there ever been a time for us…_

The words slammed into her heart like a freight train, almost toppling her to her knees. 

That same driving force that pushed her up the stairs earlier returned with gusto, screaming one word as it pulsed to the rhythm of her heart. _Write. Write, write, write._ She had to write it out or she was going to burn from the inside out. 

She practically lunged for her keyboard and backpack, setting the whole thing up and pulling out her songbook in less than a minute. An outlet caught her eye next to the bed, and she pulled her keyboard over there to plug it in. Leaving the stool where it was so she could close the window back, she sat on the bed and ran her fingers over the white keys. It had been so long since she’d written anything herself, and her fingers itched to put pen to paper again. 

She didn’t have much to work with so far, just a few lyrics and a couple of scraps of melody, but it was a start. 

Getting the notes she could pick out from the melody down on the lined paper was easy enough, but when it came to the lyrics, she was having a much harder time. 

_I can’t stand to see it,  
Watching you fall apart.  
Has there ever been a time for us?”_

The first two lines worked well together. But the last line didn’t flow with the others at all. She stared down at the page, wrinkling her nose. 

“Has there ever been a time for us?” She sang the words over and over again a few different ways, finally settling on a gradual increase in pitch. But that meant that the line was definitely leading up to something, like a pre chorus. But it wasn’t quite done yet, and no matter what she tried, she couldn’t come up with another lyric that worked. 

Ugh, this was annoying. 

This new song didn’t have much of a sound, and she still wasn’t sure what she was supposed to be looking for as far as lyrics or music. 

Hm. That could be the problem. She hadn’t been looking for any of it when it came to her. All of the lyrics and melody fragments just appeared in her head, fully formed with no actual effort on her part. Whatever this song was, it was kind of like Narnia. None of the kids in any of the books were looking for it; Aslan always called them. 

Maybe this song was more of a call, something that she had to answer but could never make herself. 

Sounded as good as any other theory she could come up with. 

But, be that as it may, her fingers still itched to play _something_. 

She dropped her head against her keys and winced at the discordant noise that exploded from the speakers. At least, to the classically trained side of her brain, it was discordant. But the rocker side heard another sound entirely. 

She sat up and stared at Sunset Curve’s silent instruments, and an idea slowly bloomed. 

She reached out and tapped a few notes on the keys, quickly shifting between guitar and piano in her head. 

A sudden blast of heat, exactly like the one from the night she and Flynn followed Luke to Mona’s, surged through her veins, and she stood, slammed her fingers across the keys in an imitation of the first notes that once tore from Luke’s electric guitar, and launched herself into her favorite Sunset Curve song. The words washed over her, igniting a rush that screamed for an adventure. 

Julie Molina was about to save the world. 

_Take off, last stop,  
Count down ‘till we blast open the top.  
Face first, full charge,  
Electric hammer to the heart…_

Yes, this was exactly what she needed. Time and space to just rock out to a tune she didn’t have to write because it was already whole. 

She closed her eyes and continued playing and singing, flowing into the chorus effortlessly. It had been over seven years since she heard this song, but the notes and the words were there, waiting for her like old friends. 

Just as she moved into the second verse, the sound stopped coming from the keys. 

“What are you doing up here?” 

***

“Ow! Okay, I’ve had it with you, you little turd!” Luke sucked on his throbbing finger as he rushed to the gate at the back of the ring and pushed it open. “Go on, get out of here!”

Fin took off into the pasture, kicking his back legs out before turning around and snorting. Luke wasn’t quite as fluent in Horse as his dad was, but that definitely sounded like, “Screw you in particular, sir!” 

“Yeah? I hope you have to crap in a bag as you drag a buggy through New York City!” he yelled back, kicking the gate closed.

Luke knew he was yelling at a horse. He knew that yelling at horses was pointless. Horses didn’t speak English. And even if they could, he was pretty sure Fin would just call him a few not-so-family-friendly names and trot off like he’d just done. 

Fin was such an ass. 

Luke took off his hat and collapsed to his back on the dusty ground. He placed his hat over his face to keep the sun from blinding him, then let out a loud, frustrated groan. He’d spent freaking _hours_ worked with that stupid horse, and what did he have to show for it? A finger he’d likely have to cut off later because of the jerk-face germs Fin probably left behind, and stress. Lots and lots of stress. 

With a tired sigh, he took the hat off his face and gazed up at the huge, puffy clouds. His dad had always brought him outside to look at the sky when he was upset and needed to cool down as a kid, and he just couldn’t manage to kick the habit. 

An ache forced his eyes away from the clouds for a second. Man, he missed his dad. 

He looked back up and focused, trying to find pictures in the clouds. One was shaped like a tree. One looked like a rocket ship. One was most definitely a butterfly. 

Butterfly, huh. There were butterflies on Julie’s t-shirt that morning... 

And that was completely irrelevant. _Completely_. 

Oh, who was he trying to fool? He was in a mood because Covington came and took Dizzy and upset Julie, plain and simple. And as fun as it was teasing her, he had to admit there was something about her that had wiggled its way past his “She’s a bratty pop star and I hate her” first impression. She wasn’t a brat, she just didn’t let him walk all over her (which he knew his mother appreciated). And even then, she allowed him to lead when it came to the day-to-day. She was wicked smart but never acted like she knew more than she did, and completely fearless when it came to large animals and their even larger messes. 

And her laugh… 

“So, should I wait a few more minutes or just put your lunch in the trough for you?” 

Luke had never been more thankful for his mother in his entire life. Because he’d been walking on dangerous ground. 

“Can you throw it into a hay net instead so I can at least eat it in my stall?” 

She laughed and walked into the ring, sitting on the ground next to him. She curled her knee up and rested her cheek on it, leveling a curious pout at him. “What’s eating you, my precious sunshine?” 

Luke took his hat and threw it back over his face. “I’m the worst horse trainer in the world, and they may as well send me out for meat.” 

Emily wrinkled her nose in distaste. “You’re far too sour to go for meat. You’re glue for sure, honey.” 

He peeked out from under his hat. “Why you gotta be so mean to me, huh, Mama?” 

She leaned over and pushed his hat from his face. “Because I need you to hear how ridiculous you sound.” She ruffled her hand through his hair. “There is no one on this planet who understands horses like you do, so stop moping and go find Julie. You both need to eat.” 

Eat? He didn’t need to… 

A hollow ache and noisy gurgle clawed through his stomach like an animal. Hm. Maybe he was a little hungry. “What time is it?” 

“Almost two. And the last time I saw either one of you was this morning when Caleb came and…” She paused. 

“Took Dizzy. You can say it, Mom, I’m not going to burst into tears. Though I’m not entirely sure about Julie, so you may not want to bring it up around her.” 

Emily waved him off. “Julie’s tough. And she’s probably hungry, so go find her.” 

“She’s not in the house?” He figured she’d go take a nap or something. 

“Not as far as I can tell. Not in her room or the living room.” 

Ah. 

Luke sighed. “She’s probably in Dizzy’s stall. That’s where I found her when she wandered off earlier today. I’ll go get her.” 

She wasn’t in Dizzy’s stall. She wasn’t in the barn at all. Or at the fence. Or in the pasture. 

Where had she wandered off to? 

He stood in the middle of their front yard, scanning the surrounding area. He didn’t realize “doing whatever pop stars do” meant disappearing for hours without a trace. He’d have to talk to her about taking this little vanishing act on the road. They’d make a mint. 

Music suddenly blasted from his left, and Luke froze. It was piano, not guitar, but seven years or not, he’d recognize it anywhere.

No. 

There was no way she was in there. 

And there was absolutely no way she was playing _that_ song. 

He took a few hesitant steps toward the old barn, doing everything in his power to convince himself that he wasn’t hearing what he thought he heard. Surely it was a trick of his imagination, brought on by seeing the guys so much this week. 

But then Julie’s voice joined the music, and there was no mistaking it. 

His stomach dropped, then twisted into an ugly cloud of rage. 

He threw open the barn doors and, ignoring the clouds of dust he kicked up, sprinted up the stairs. She’d left the loft door open and he could see her from the steps, on her feet, fingers flying across the keys as she threw her head back and sang their song. 

She didn’t belong there. Nobody belonged there anymore. 

Without a word he stormed across the floor and yanked the keyboard plug from the wall. “What are you doing up here?” He practically roared at her, but he didn’t care. 

Julie jumped and collapsed back onto the bed. “Luke, what are you doing?” she snapped, glaring down at his hand that still held the power chord. “You could have short circuited my keys doing that, and this thing was not cheap!” 

He stepped up until he towered over her. “No, you don’t get to ask questions. What are you doing here? How did you even know about this room?” 

Julie’s eyes widened in confusion. “I asked Emily if there was anywhere I could set up my keyboard so I wouldn’t bother anyone while I wrote, and she told me I could do it here since the barn is still wired. What is your problem?” 

“She had no right to do that.” He looked around the keyboard, then scanned the bed behind her. A journal lay next to her on the old quilt, but it wasn’t his. Was she copying his songs? “Julie, where is it? Give it back now.” 

“Where is what?” 

His anger only flared. “My songbook, Julie! That’s the only way you could have found ‘Now or Never.’” He shook his head. “Who do you think you are, coming up here and going through my stuff?” Especially this stuff. He’d never wanted to see any of it again, yet there he was, standing in the middle of everything, ripping at long-healed scars until they were wide open wounds once again. 

“Luke, I didn’t go through anything, I-” 

Unbelievable. “And now you’re lying to me?” He was surprised by how much that hurt him, but it did. 

“I’m not lying!”

He thought they were becoming friends. 

He thought…

It didn’t matter what he thought. All that mattered was that Julie leave. Now. 

“Get out.” 

“Luke, I don’t understand-” 

No. He wouldn’t fall for that. “Julie, get out of here.” Tears pricked at the back of his eyes, but he fought them down with everything he had in him. “Please.” He didn’t want to beg, but she couldn’t be up here anymore. 

Julie glared at him, but it didn’t hold as much heat as it had when he’d unplugged her keyboard. In fact, it almost looked like pity. 

He hated pity. 

“Please,” he said again, and even he could hear how broken he was. 

She grabbed her journal and stuffed it into her backpack. “I’ll come back for that later,” she said quietly, nodding toward her keyboard. 

She stalked toward the door to the loft and took one step down, but turned before she moved any further. “Oh, and for the record, I didn’t go through your stuff. That was from memory.” She looked down at the floor, then back at him. “Once upon a time, I was a huge fan.” Then she left, her footsteps echoing down the staircase and fading until she’d left the barn. 

Luke couldn’t move, her last words echoing in his head. _Once upon a time I was a huge fan._

She knew about them? She knew about Sunset Curve? 

No, she had to be lying. No one knew about them anymore. Sunset Curve was dead, and it was never coming back. He’d made sure of that a long time ago. She couldn’t be telling the truth. 

He turned toward their old instruments, as if he was begging them for an explanation. But they were silent, just the way he wanted them until that moment. 

A bright blue case caught his eye. Only one way to find out if Julie was a liar or not. He lunged for the case and ripped it open so fast he almost broke the zipper. A solid black acoustic guitar stared back at him. For a long moment, he just sat and stared at it, unsure what to do. He hadn’t touched, hadn’t even looked at, Mitch’s guitar in so long. It was intrusive and it was cruel, like violating a headstone.

But he had to know. 

He slowly reached a trembling finger toward the instrument, but he stopped just before he touched it. Nausea roiled in the pit of his stomach, and he swallowed back a surge of bile. He couldn’t do this. 

But he had to. 

Steeling himself, he touched one of the hundreds of scratches that decorated the guitar’s body like tattoos. He remembered the day that one happened. 

Twelve-year-old Luke had been fiddling with his dad’s guitar (his parents hadn’t gotten him the full sized mahogany Fender CD-60S he’d been drooling over for the last year), and when Mitch pulled up with a new patient, Luke had just swung it onto his back instead of putting it down to help his dad get the young mare into the ring. 

She’d clipped Luke’s shoulder on the way out of the trailer, and the guitar knocked against the wooden fence, nicking the black finish.

It was such an insignificant memory, but he latched onto it and allowed it to propel him to push his fingers under the guitar and feel for his song book. Sure enough, there it was, an old composition book, pancake flat and hard to open from sitting in a guitar case for over half a decade. 

If Julie had opened it, the spine would be at least cracked. But there wasn’t a shred of evidence that she’d touched it at all. 

She’d told him the truth. 

And he’d called her a liar. 

She probably hated him now, and he deserved every bit of it. 

Clutching the songbook to his chest, he walked back to the bed and sank to the floor next to it, leaning against the side. 

Then, for the first time in years, Luke Patterson lowered his head and cried. 

***

Julie closed the barn door behind her and made her way back to the house. 

She wanted to be angry. She wanted to be furious, but all she could manage was a deep sadness. 

Luke had yelled and snapped at her, but behind the rage, he was terrified. What he was so scared of she had no clue, but she wanted to find out. 

Not now, though. 

Right now, he was a mess, and there would be no reasoning with him in his current state. And even though she wasn’t necessarily mad at him, she didn’t want to be around him right then either. 

As she walked, her phone buzzed in her back pocket. 

Flynn. 

_Jules, we have to make a pact right now. We CANNOT fall in love while we’re here, with anything or anyone. At the end of this month, we go home and we don’t look back. No getting too attached. I know it could be so easy, but promise me you won’t._

What in the-

Oh. 

Reggie. 

So Julie hadn’t been imagining Flynn’s interest in the former bassist last night. 

Well, how about that? 

Julie understood Flynn’s point. They were leaving, and as fun as flirting with random Texas boys would be for a few weeks, they were ultimately going to go their separate ways. Chattanooga was a long way away, after all. Falling in love wouldn’t be prudent, kind, or smart. 

Julie glanced back at the old barn, then tapped the space to reply. 

_No worries there. We come, I write, we leave. I promise._

**Author's Note:**

> Forgot to add this in... Sorry for the extra notification! 
> 
> It'll be a few days before this updates, so strap in, friends. My other fic needs a turn. 
> 
> (If you haven't checked out my angsty fic "Fall Where They May," I'd love to know what you think!)
> 
> But fear not, I shan't have you waiting too too long. As a fan of numerous fics on here as well, I know how a looooooong wait can turn the tummy. I will do my utmost to avoid that! 
> 
> Love to you all!


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